India vs Australia: Hardik Pandya refuses to ‘pinpoint’ any player after Team India’s thumping defeat in 1st T20I – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

As the ICC T20 World Cup is approaching, Team India has already started off their final preparation. Now, they have been featuring in a T20I series against Australia and will play South Africa afterward on home soil.

On Tuesday, the opening T20I against the Aussies in Mohali saw a thumping performance by the Indian side. Though the batters may not have to take responsibility for the defeat, a lot of questions have been raised regarding fielding and bowling. The full-house IS Bindra Stadium witnessed a number of dropped catches and the bowlers came out very expensive. The Men in Blue, as a result of which, failed to defend a mammoth total of 208 runs.

The Indian bowlers had the job to protect as many as 55 runs in the final four overs. But the swashbuckling cameo of Matthew Wade did not let them do so. The Aussie keeper-batter, even after coming down the order, smashed a quickfire 45 in 25 deliveries, taking the match away from the hosts.

Referring to the events, during the post-match press conference, Hardik Pandya who stole the show with his unbeaten explosive 71-run knock was questioned if the 18th over bowled by Harshal Patel was the turning point of the game. Notably, Patel who made his comeback to the international circuit after a prolonged injury was thrashed for 22 runs in that over.

In response, Pandya refused to take any particular name and urged the journalist not to “pinpoint” any player for the loss. He said, “We would have stopped them in the field if we had known.” Hardik Pandya, moreover, mentioned the fact that the visitors had also conceded more than 20 runs in an over. Pandya further stated that the overall team game should be improved and pledged to make a strong comeback in the remaining two matches of the series.

Though Pandya made a crucial contribution with the bat, he looked pale while bowling. Bowling just 2 overs, he allowed 22 runs without any scalp to his name. The flat surface of Mohali turned out to be immensely beneficial for the batters. So the toss became a huge factor for Australia. Amid the disappointing result, Axar Patel’s form is something that can bring some relief to India. The left-arm spinner managed to record a three-wicket haul, conceding just 17 runs during his four overs.