India vs South Africa 2022, 2nd T20I: For India bowlers will have to rise to the occasion. Cricket News – Times of India

CUTTACK: As the Rishabh Pant-led Team India entered the Barabati Stadium ground on Saturday afternoon for their practice session ahead of the second T20I, the setting sun was enveloped by clouds. The stand-in captain, who was trailing 0-1 in the five-match series after losing the first game in charge despite a record score of 211, didn’t have the best of starts in front of his home crowd in New Delhi.
With the bowling department in new form coming up against an in-form one cropper South Africa The batting order, especially David Miller and Rassie van der Dussen, Pant’s pair will be expected to leave the field on Sunday night with a smile on their face. But for that to happen, he needs to do his job in the bowling department, which is led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar In the absence of Bumrah and Shami.
Bhuvi has cut his work as a senior supporter in the bowling unit which includes youngsters like Harshal Patel, Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal apart from Avesh Khan, Umran Malik, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi. Bhuvi is well aware of his role as a youth leader.

“Yes, in their (Shami, Bumrah) absence, I try to take responsibility, focus on improving every match before going into the T20 World Cup,” the seamer said.
“As a bowling unit, we had a day off but that is okay. We want to come back in the next match. We know we didn’t bowl well in the first match. So we hope to improve, bowl well and level the series. We still have four matches to play,” said Bhuvneshwar.

Bhuvi himself was not playing well in Kotla. The bowlers’ inability to defend 211 will leave the team management and the captain wondering whether to go for some changes as the IPL seems to have Umran and Arshdeep waiting in the wings.
Bhuvi brushed aside the question with a cheeky smile, saying, “The coach and the captain are in a better position to answer that question.” However, the bowlers will need to keep the trio of Miller, Dusan and Quinton de Kock – who also had a stellar IPL side but could not convert the starts in the first T20I.

It is too early to assess his potential as a captain but Pant’s decision to not bowl to IPL Purple Cap holder Chahal from his full quota has already raised eyebrows. Bhuvi, however, backed Pant saying, “He is a young captain and this was his first match. I am sure he will try to do better as the series progresses. Generally the captain is only as good as the team.”
Laying the blame for the defeat on the bowling attack, Bhuvneshwar said, “Our bowling was not good and it was thrown down. If we had done well, you would have appreciated Pant’s decision making skills. I am sure he will do well.”