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India vs South Africa: Keshav Maharaj slams his own team after loss in 4th T20, says THIS

Blaming his batters for a dismal show with the bat and getting bundled out for a mere 87, Keshav Maharaj said that lack of partnerships hurt South Africans. He called for better planning in the next match in order to win the series. 

India vs South Africa: Keshav Maharaj slams his own team after loss in 4th T20, says THIS

India beat South Africa in the 4th T20 at the Saurashtra Cricket Stadium in Rajkot on Friday (June 17) to make it 2-2 in the five-match series. The Rishabh Pant-led side bowled out Proteas for their lowest score in T20s to register a massive 82-run win. Doing a post-protem of the loss, SA's stand-in captain Maharaj said that the reason for the defeat was his side's inability to adapt. He added that his side needs to be a bit more proactive. "Obviously didn`t go according to plan in the last few overs, but we felt the pitch got a bit better at the end. It is the lack of adaptability on our side. We need to be a bit more proactive," said Maharaj. 

Blaming his batters for a dismal show with the bat and getting bundled out for a mere 87, he said that lack of partnerships hurt South Africans. He called for better planning in the next match in order to win the series. 

"We stifled ourselves in the powerplay. We didn`t get any partnerships and just exploded. Their bowlers bowled really well too. DK played really well at the end but we need to have better plans and adapt better," he added.

Talking about the 5th match of the series, Maharaj said: "India is a tough place for spinners to bowl with small grounds. There will be a lot of buzz at the ground in Bangalore. Expect it to be a cracker."

On the same night when SA batter struggled hard vs Indian bowlers, Dinesh Karthik produced a T20 masterclass, smashing 55 off just 27 balls, that included 9 fours and 2 sixes, to get his side to a169/6 in 20 overs. Hardik Pandya too played well for his 46 off 31 balls that included 3 sixes and fours each. India will play the decider on Sunday (June 19) at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The winner of the match will take the trophy with them.