Running AB out big mistake on my part, says Faf du Plessis

Running AB out big mistake on my part, says Faf du Plessis

South Africa's repeated faux pas at ICC events may be an inscrutable mystery, but what heralded their downfall against India at the Oval on Sunday (June 11) was glaringly obvious - the run-outs of AB de Villiers and David Miller five balls from each other. Curiously, Faf du Plessis found himself at the other end both times.

Thereafter, South Africa's innings nosedived, as they slumped abjectly from 140 for 2 to being bundled out for 191 in 44.3 overs. Even India captain Virat Kohli deemed those run-outs as the 'turning points' in the match.

Du Plessis, who'd patted the ball towards point and set off with a call of 'yes' admitted later that the misjudgement of the run in de Villiers's case, whose dive into the crease was beaten by Hardik Pandya's quick return to MS Dhoni, was his fault. " I take full responsibility for AB's run-out," du Plessis said South Africa's eight-wicket defeat.

"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 on my part running AB out."

When de Villiers was asked about the seemingly suicidal run, he took a more philosophical view on the subject, saying that he simply responded to du Plessis' call. "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," said de Villiers.

According to du Plessis, after the run-out of de Villiers, the conversation in the middle with the new batsman David Miller was precisely about the level of noise at the Oval, which was packed with vociferous Indian supporters.

"I suppose, after that moment, Dave (Miller) came in and we discussed that it is extremely loud out there and difficult to hear each other so the communication between the two of us was just for the next five overs, just play it as risk-free as possible. Try and get the partnership going in, settle the partnership because the last thing you want to do is go wicket, wicket. And then two or three balls later, obviously a miscommunication, and then Dave came down and ran. Not a great sight to see two guys standing in the crease," he said.

Describing it as an 'average' day for his team, du Plessis conceded that India dominated from the outset. "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.

"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. We didn't do that today. They put us under pressure and we made mistakes and we couldn't get out of it," concluded du Plessis.