Pakistani keeper-batter Kamran Akmal believes Hardik Pandya was very ordinary as India’s captain in the 2nd T20I against West Indies. He suggested that the Indian skipper made a few errors in the second T20I against the West Indies in Guyana on Sunday, August 6. Akmal pointed out that not giving Yuzvendra Chahal his full quota of four overs in the match hurt the Men in Blue.
“Akeal Hosein and Akeal Hosein scored runs towards the end, which suggests that Hardik Pandya wasn’t up to the mark with his bowling changes. Yuzvendra Chahal brought India back into the game but wasn’t given his full quota of overs. This was a blunder. Also, Hardik Pandya made yet another mistake by not bowling Axar Patel. While he has been quite good as captain, his captaincy was very ordinary in the first two T20Is and in the ODI which India lost. This is not Hardik Pandya’s standard,” Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kamran Akmal said.
Notably, Chahal took two crucial wickets while conceding only 19 runs in three overs. Pandya, on the other hand, gave the ball to Mukesh Kumar for the penultimate over of the run chase. The pacer conceded 14 runs in the first five balls, assisting West Indies in chasing down the 153-run target with two wickets and seven deliveries remaining. Kamran Akmal also pointed out how the Indian batters failed to build partnerships at crucial junctures. He stated that given the firepower in their batting lineup, the visitors should have scored a lot more, adding:
“Looking at the batting lineup of West Indies, the Indian batters should have scored at least 170. India have some big names in their side and a few batters have been in great form. When you have a batter like Suryakumar Yadav, 170-780 should be scored automatically. The Indian batters will have to play more responsibly. They need a good opening partnership. It is important for them to spend some time at the crease.”
