So much to learn from this defeat, don't know if wicket changed drastically: Rahul

Paarl [South Africa], January 19 (ANI): India stand-in ODI skipper KL Rahul on Wednesday said that his side will take learnings from the defeat against South Africa in the first ODI.
Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen's centuries were backed by a spirited bowling performance as South Africa defeated India by 31 runs in the first ODI of the three-match series.
For India, only Shikhar Dhawan (79), Shardul Thakur (50*), and Virat Kohli (51) got going with the bat, and otherwise, it was a disappointing show.
"It was a nice game. There's so much to learn. We started off really well, we couldn't get wickets in the middle. We'll look to see how we get wickets in the middle overs and stop the opposition. The middle-order couldn't get going. We were on par for the first 20-25 overs of the game. I thought we would chase it down easily but SA bowled really well and got crucial wickets," said Rahul after the game.
"I didn't bat after the 20th overs, I don't know if the wicket changed drastically. Virat and Shikhar told that it was a good wicket to bat on, you just had to spend some time in the middle, unfortunately, we couldn't get the partnership going," he added.
Earlier, Rassie van der Dussen (129*) and Temba Bavuma (110) were the bright spots with the bat as South Africa posted 296/4. Bavuma and van der Dussen put on a stand of 204 runs for the fourth wicket and this is the second-highest by a South African pair in ODIs against India.
"They did really well, they put pressure on the bowlers and we couldn't get those wickets in the middle. 290+ was 20 runs extra, but we just needed more partnerships in the middle. Every game is important for us, we all want to go out there and give our best performances," said Rahul.
"We haven't played one-day cricket for a while, we have the WC in mind and we want to get the best XI on the park. We'll make mistakes but we'll learn from them," he added.
With this win, the hosts have gained a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The second ODI will be played on the same ground on Friday. (ANI)