Hardik Pandya minced no words when it came to Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan. India vice-captain took a wild sweep at Pakistan Cricket Team stars after hosts defeated Men in Green by seven wickets in ODI World Cup 2023 in Ahmedabad.
At the ODI World Cup 2023, India crushed Pakistan in their group-stage encounter. At the Narendra Modi Stadium on October 14, India defeated Pakistan by 7 wickets. When India won the toss, they chose to bowl first. Pakistan got off to a quick start, reaching 70/2 in the 12th over, but as India introduced their spinners, they slowed down significantly.
Instead of going for the spinners, Babar Azam and the in-form Mohammad Rizwan appeared to be trying to minimize their risk against Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja.
As a result, Pakistan suffered a catastrophic collapse that saw them get bowled out for just 191 runs, losing a significant amount of momentum. The pair contributed just 80 runs in the following 18 overs.
What did Hardik Pandya said?
India’s vice-captain Hardik Pandya stated after the game that both Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were cautious in their approach and did not take any chances throughout their innings. Hardik thought that this was the primary reason why India was able to maintain a lead throughout the game.
“Babar and Rizwan were timid. They didn’t take any chances, which is why we thought we were always in the game. There wasn’t much in the pitch for the bowlers. They didn’t try going for shots or attack us, which is why we were able to bowl dot balls. I have seen that if two players bat in the same way, if one gets out, then it opens up a lot of doors,” Hardik Pandya told Star Sports.
Both Babar and Rizwan were set, according to Pakistani pacer Mohammad Amir, who also said that they should have performed better.
Both Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill launched a scathing attack on Pakistan in response. India persisted with their attacking intent and chased down the 192-run goal in only 30.3 overs despite Shubman and Virat Kohli being out early.
With three victories out of three, India kept up their unbeaten streak and now holds the top spot in the league rankings. The only side with the same number of victories as India is New Zealand, however they have a significantly lower NRR than the home team.
Bangladesh will be India’s next opponent on October 19 in Pune.
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