Ranchi, Nov 29 (NationPress) In the lead-up to the ODI series against South Africa, India's interim captain KL Rahul acknowledged that he lacks a clear solution to the team's batting challenges against spinners, noting that the players are actively seeking improvements.

As the ODI series is set to commence at the JSCA International Stadium on Sunday, India arrives after suffering a 2-0 series defeat in Tests, where their struggles against spin bowling were prominently displayed once more.

“I cannot provide a definitive explanation. I can only admit that we have struggled to handle spinners effectively. We are aware of this aspect of our game and acknowledge our shortcomings against spin bowling. You mentioned Gavaskar sir discussing this issue - we can consult him to gain insights on enhancing our performance against spin. We are already exploring ways to improve, but I don't expect changes to occur overnight,” Rahul stated during the pre-match press conference.

“I can't pinpoint why we used to perform better in the past compared to now. Numerous factors contribute to this. Our focus must be on self-improvement as players. In the coming 6-7 months, we have a series in Sri Lanka and then the Indian home series against Australia - so how can we enhance our game?”

“What technical adjustments do we need to make? These are the queries we are individually trying to answer to enhance our skills. That's all we can do; we used to excel against spin bowling, so perhaps we will reach out to our senior players for guidance,” Rahul added.

In Guwahati, Rahul faced an off-break from a spinner but was deceived by the drift and dip, leading to his dismissal. When asked if he regretted not making a more aggressive shot, Rahul stated he had no regrets.

“No, I don't regret not attempting a different shot. I regret the execution of my decision. In the Test format, with just a few overs left in the day, it wasn't the right time for me to try to hit a boundary. Looking back, maybe I would have thought about it, but it was only the second ball of the over,” he explained.

“If I had attempted to step down and got out, I would have questioned my decision. At that moment, I believed defending was the right choice, which I didn't execute well. That's the lesson I take from that dismissal,” he remarked.

Rahul emphasized that the Test series loss would not influence their approach to the ODI series against the Proteas. “The two formats are significantly different. The players and setups vary. We won't let the Test team's disappointment carry over. It's essential to forget that and concentrate on this series,” he noted.

“The discussion has revolved around our lack of one-day match experience since the Champions Trophy. Therefore, it's crucial that we regain our rhythm and momentum in one-day cricket. We have all played before, so we'll continue discussing the tactical adjustments needed and how we should approach the game mindset-wise,” he concluded.