IND vs SL 2022-23: India succumbed to a 16-run defeat to Sri Lanka in the second Pune T20I on Thursday. While Arshdeep Singh was on the receiving end for bowling no-balls aplenty, Hardik Pandya has still backed him to come strong.
Bowling no balls in any format is a crime, voiced Indian skipper Hardik Pandya, besides adding that it was not about condemning pacer Arshdeep Singh. Still, he feels the young speedster must return and fix his fundamental mistakes. India slipped to a 16-run failure in the second Twenty20 International (T20I), as Sri Lanka levelled the three-game series 1-1 on Thursday. Returning to the XI after missing the opening contest in Mumbai on Tuesday, Arshdeep appeared to be eroded and bowled five no-balls in his couple of overs, leaking 37 runs.
"You can have a good day and a bad one, but you shouldn't be moving away from the basics. For Arshdeep, in this situation, it isn't easy. In the past as well, he's bowled no-balls. It is not about blaming or being too hard on him, but we know no-balls in any format is a crime," Pandya spoke during the post-match presentation.
Pandya felt India needed to be better in the powerplays while bowling and batting. "Both in bowling and batting, the powerplay hurt us. We made some basic errors, which we shouldn't be making at this level. Everyone knows what it is. The learning for us is we should focus on what we can control," he declared.
On debutant Rahul Tripathi being asked to bat at number three, Pandya expressed: "Rahul is accustomed to playing at number three, and someone coming in, we want to give them a role they are comfortable with. That's why he batted at number three."
Meanwhile, Dasun Shanaka led from the front, staring across departments. The Sri Lankan captain, who struck a 22-ball 56 before protecting 21 off the final over, was adjudged the Man of the Match. "We could've done well in the middle part. The openers set the game. Need to play well in the middle order to allow finishers to finish well," Shanaka communicated.
Shanaka also credited Axar Patel and Suryakumar Yadav, who practically sewed a 91-run sixth-wicket partnership to take the game away from Lanka. "It's not the dew factor. It's the skill of Indian batters. They took the game away from us, but still, we managed to hold our nerve. Good to defend the total, especially against India in these conditions," he concluded.
(With inputs from PTI)