Champions Trophy: Faf du Plessis takes the blame for AB de Viliers' run out vs India
London: It was a crucial moment in the match for South Africa. They had just lost a couple of wickets after a steady start provided by Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis. All they needed was for their two senior batters – skipper AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis – to stick to the crease and build a partnership.
However, two run outs in quick succession helped the Indians take the upper hand, as they went on to bowl South Africa out for a paltry 191, in a match that they comfortably won by eight wickets at The Oval, on Sunday.
Du Plessis took responsibility for the first run out, the one which sent AB de Villiers back to the pavilion, saying that his call for a run with de Villiers was not wise.
"That's my fault. Obviously he [de Villiers] is a big player for us and he was looking good and it was a crunch time in the game. Big mistake from my part in running AB out,” he said.
AB de Villiers, on the other hand, thought that he could get the run, and did not expect what was coming. “You see, I just tried to take a one with my partner out there and it didn't work. I wasn't searching for runs, I wasn't even facing. There was a call out there, and I thought we could get through for the one,” he said.
Faf du Plessis also credited India for an all-round performance, and particularly praised the bowlers.
"I thought India bowled well in the first 10 overs, there was an opportunity there for us to maybe put them under pressure which we didn't do. It was a day where India dominated us in all aspects and it shouldn't happen," he said.
Du Plessis rated the South African side as an “average” team; he said, "You either settle and get through the pressure. Or you absorb it or you don't and we didn't absorb those five overs,” he said.
"When India were batting they took the pressure, created momentum and then just ran with it. We had a similar opportunity where it was needed for someone, or, two guys to just put the pressure back on the Indian team and you run with it,” said du Plessis. “We didn't do that today. They put us under pressure and we made mistakes and we couldn't get out of it.”
