Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
New Delhi: India captain Hardik Pandya minced no words stating the pitches at Ranchi and Lucknow were not ideal for T20 matches.
Pandya’s comments come in after India pulled of a nervy six-wicket win over New Zealand in the second T20I at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Sunday.
Earlier, India had lost to New Zealand in the first game that was played at the JSCA stadium in Ranchi. The series decider will be played on February 1 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Bowling first, India spinners made life difficult for New Zealand with regular wickets and restricted them to 99/8 in 20 overs. In reply, the hosts struggled real before pulling off a win with one ball to spare.
“To be honest, it was a shocker of a wicket. Both the games we have played on so far,” Hardik told after the game. “I don’t mind difficult wickets. I am all up for that, but these two wickets are not made for T20.
“Somewhere down the line the curators or the grounds that we are going to play in should make sure they prepare the pitches earlier,” added the all-rounder. Needing six runs in the final over, India scored three in the first four balls before Suryakumar sealed the deal with a four.
According to Hardik, there nothing to panic but instead it was about rotating the strike. “I always believed that we’ll be able to finish the game, but it went quite late. All these games are important with the moments.
“You don’t need to panic because it was about rotating the strike rather than taking the pressure. That’s exactly what we did. We followed our basics,” he added.
