NZ vs IND 2022 | Hardik Pandya says Suryakumar Yadav put India ahead
Hardik Pandya [Source: Associated Press]
India, led by Hardik Pandya, trounced New Zealand by 65 runs in the second T20I at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. The win took the ‘Men in Blue’ 1-0 ahead in the three-match series, after the soddened opening affair in Wellington earlier this week.
After the match, interim skipper Pandya hailed the “complete performance” put forward by team and also singled out Suryakumar Yadav for his belligerent ton upfront.
Hardik Pandya hails all-class SKY and sixth bowler Deepak Hooda
Hardik Pandya was all-praise for number three batter Suryakumar Yadav, and claimed that his 51-ball 111* put India 30 runs ahead of the intended total. The star all-rounder also hailed the collective bowling efforts for skittling the hosts for just 126 inside their 20 overs. The Indian captain said:
“Complete performance, absolutely can't get better than us. Suryakumar Yadav put us 30 runs forward. After that the bowlers were very clinical. Being aggressive does not mean you take every ball on, it’s about body language. Looking at all those, we ticked all those boxes, especially with the water due to the rain. It was quite difficult to bowl but they stuck to their plans.”
Pandya added that his sixth bowler, part-timer Deepak Hooda, also executed the plans well by stemming New Zealand’s scoring rate in the run-chase. Hooda hurled 2.5 overs in the evening and claimed four wickets, all while conceding just 10 runs.
On his bowling, he said:
“Today the sixth bowler, Deepak Hooda, stopped the runs and those two overs changed the game and put them under pressure. I expect them to be professional, that they are. Just give them the opportunity to give them support. People were backing each other, that's what I am looking for.”
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 "Aakash Saini")
