Hardik Pandya shared an honest admission after India suffered a shock T20I series defeat to West Indies.
Hardik Pandya's triumphant run as the T20I captain of the Men In Blue in the bilateral series came to an end on Sunday. The star all-rounder lost his first T20I series as captain after the Romario Shepherd-inspired West Indies outplayed India in the fifth encounter at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground. Putting an end to India's fightback in Florida, hosts West Indies sealed the five-match series 3-2 after recording an eight-wicket victory over India.
Hardik's Team India had bounced back in the series by winning back-to-back matches against the West Indies. However, the batting disaster class of the Indian batters paved the way for the West Indies to thwart India's bid to register a come-from-behind series win. Pandya's decision to bat first on a slow track backfired as India posted a below-par total in the 20-over contest.
"If you see, we lost that period post 10 overs. Since when I came, I wasn't able to capitalize and I took my time and could not finish," said Pandya, who scored 14 off 18 balls in the T20I series decider. The Indian middle-order also struggled to score runs in the series decider.
Leading India's fightback in the series decider against the West Indies, premier batter Suryakumar Yadav slammed a brilliant half-century while youngster Tilak Varma scored 27 off 18 balls. Suryakumar's quick-fire 61 off 45 balls powered India to 165/9 in 20 overs. "It's a long way. We have the ODI World Cup coming up. And sometimes losing is good. You get to learn a lot. And special mention for all the boys. They showed great character. Winning and losing is a part of the process and we are going to make sure we learn from that," Pandya added.
"It is what I feel at the moment, I don't plan much. If I see a situation, whatever my gut says I follow, " Pandya explained. The Indian all-rounder has been rested for the upcoming T20I series against Ireland. In his absence, pace ace Jasprit Bumrah will lead the second-string Indian side in his comeback series. "They've got heart. That is something that's very important in international cricket. Every youngster coming through has belief. That's something I see very often now. Kudos to them, they came out and took responsibility. I can't be happier as a captain," Pandya concluded.
Source-Hindustan Times
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