2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke made by India in the 2nd ODI vs South Africa ft. Arshdeep Singh's second spell

India lost the second ODI against South Africa by four wickets in Raipur on Wednesday, December 3. The series is currently all square at 1-1, with the decider to be played on Saturday, December 6.

India didn't have the luck of the toss once again, and dew made bowling nearly impossible in the second innings. While the conditions were against them, there were things the Men in Blue could've done to give themselves a better shot at sealing the series.

On that note, here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by India in the second ODI against South Africa.

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#3 Mistake - KL Rahul delayed bringing his premier pacers on

Australia v India - T20 Series: Game 4 - Source: Getty

South Africa lost a wicket fairly early in the chase, but they ensured that they were never out of the hunt. And with dew making conditions more batting-friendly by the minute and Aiden Markram going great guns at one end, the visitors did well to keep abreast of the asking rate.

KL Rahul wasn't too forthcoming in bringing his premier pacers into the attack. Arshdeep Singh's second spell started in the 34th over and last three overs, while his third and final spell commenced at a time when the game was firmly in South Africa's grasp.

Harshit Rana didn't bowl between the eighth and 28th overs, while his last two overs also came too late. Had he been brought on earlier, India may have been in a better position for the final 10 overs of the innings.

While doing anything else was tough to an extent, given that the dew was becoming worse, Rahul's delayed bowling changes meant that the two premier fast bowlers were completely taken out of the game by the time they finished their spells.

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#2 Masterstroke - KL Rahul got his spinners out of the way early

Australia v India - ODI Series: Game 1 - Source: Getty

At the same time, however, Rahul must be commended for the manner in which he tried to bring Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar into the game. The Indian captain brought the latter on in the last over of the powerplay and the former in the first over post the field restrictions, knowing that dew was going to make things tougher later.

Prasidh Krishna's spell was delayed as a result, but that was a tradeoff India had to make. While Jadeja and Sundar didn't take any wickets, they were in the attack at a time when there was a bit of purchase from the pitch. The left-arm spinner even forced a couple of false shots.

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#1 Mistake - India's field placements in the final stages of the chase were strange

England v South Africa - 1st Metro Bank ODI - Source: Getty

After Tony de Zorzi went off with a hamstring injury, Corbin Bosch and Keshav Maharaj tried to play risk-free cricket to take South Africa over the line. They did well, but it must be said that India allowed them to cross the finish line in comfortable fashion.

Although Bosch and Maharaj made no efforts to play aerial shots, Rahul often had three or four fielders in the deep. The Protea duo were able to milk singles and bring the equation down to just three runs in the final over, a target they were always going to achieve. Even in the penultimate over, when the game was virtually done, Rahul had a fine leg, a deep square leg and a deep midwicket.

India managed to push the game deep, but they didn't increase their chances of winning. Being bolder would've been a better option.