T20 World Cup: Indian batters got exposed against quality South African pace attack, says Shoaib Akhtar

Pakistan pace legend Shoaib Akhtar felt the Indian batters got exposed against a fearsome South African bowling lineup on a bouncy Perth surface on Sunday following the Men in Blue’s first loss of their T20 World Cup campaign. T20 World Cup Home | Schedule | Results | Points Table | T20 World Cup News | Photos India were stopped on their tracks by a spirited South Africa after getting off to a perfect start with wins against Pakistan and Netherlands. Led by Lungi Ngidi’s destructive four-wicket burst in the powerplay, the Proteas pace unit toyed with the famed Indian batting order and exposed familiar problems with that department yet again, reducing them to 49/5 at one stage. Read: Proteas demolish Men in Blue with short-ball strategy “India have been exposed in front of South Africa fast bowling but they were not out and about because they’ll have easier matches now. “It’s not easy playing in these pitches. India left us very disappointed. If Indian batters played with a bit of restraint, 150 would have been a winning total here but India left us very disappointed," the ex-Pakistan pacemen said on his YouTube channel following the final game of the Sunday triple header.

Had it not been for Suryakumar Yadav’s standout innings of 68, Rohit Sharma and Co might have struggled to go past the century-mark. Yadav’s counterattack, instead, propelled them a score of 133/9, a score that looked very much defendable given the Proteas themselves were reduced to 24/3 during the chase, before David Miller and Aiden Markram came to their rescue with a match-winning partnership. Akhtar also lamented India’s defeat further shrinking Pakistan’s chances of finishing among the top two in Group 2 and qualifying for the semi-finals in the process. The 2009 T20 world champions got off to a forgettable start with back-to-back losses against India and Zimbabwe, the defeats leaving their knockout hopes hanging by a thread. “Now onwards, Pakistan’s chances are very limited. I was wishing India would defeat South Africa and then if Pakistan could also defeat South Africa, we would have had a chance. But now it seems like, South Africa will be ready to inflict some damage on us. They have become contenders to win the World Cup. I had apprehensions with the Pakistan team selection. Now result is in front of you,” Akhtar added. A win against Netherlands though, brought them back on their feet and now they must win both of their remaining games against South Africa and Bangladesh and hope other results go their way to make it to the semis for a second consecutive time in the tournament. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.