IND vs SL: India’s new T20 captain Hardik Pandya gave a scare after a couple of nervous fitness moments on the field at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday. After a spell of three overs, Pandya was seen clutching his back though continued fielding. Later, he hobbled off holding his calf with Surya taking over leadership. He did return to marshall his troops to a nervy 2-run win over SriLanka. Follow India vs SriLanka LIVE updates on Insidesport.IN
IND vs SL: Hardik Pandya alleviates injury fears after scare during 1st T20, says ‘It was just cramps’ – Check out
India went on to defend a target of 163 against Sri Lanka here at the Wankhede Stadium to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The Indian bowlers came up with some intelligent bowling to register a hard-fought win by just 2 runs. While Hardik Pandya did impress with his decision-making, he struggled on the field with cramps.
Speaking after the game, Hardik allayed those concerns suggesting they were just cramps. He said, “It is just cramps. Now I have tendency to scare people. I did not sleep well, did not drink enough water and hence the glutes were stiff.”
Hardik has only recently returned to full fitness after dealing with a back condition for the past few years. The upcoming ODIs against Sri Lanka, in which he will be vice-captain, will be his first one-day internationals since the England tour in July 2022. Now having taken up the leadership mantle, the all-rounder will be expected to feature in most games when fit.
Nonetheless, it was a memorable outing for him and his backing for Shivam Mavi worked after the new GT star picked up 4/22 on debut. Hardik’s willingness to present opportunities to youngsters was praised who eventually delivered the goods.
“We might lose a game here and there but it’s alright. It’s the young guys who got us back into the game. I have seen him [Shivam Mavi] bowling well in the IPL and I just told him to simply bowl. I told him, ‘I am backing you. Even if you get hit, it’s fine,” said Hardik Pandya in the post-match presentation ceremony.
Debutant Shivam Mavi could not have asked for a better start to his international career picking up four wickets in four overs conceding only 22 runs. He got good support from his teammates with Umran Malik picking up two wickets and Harshal Patel also picking two as well.
IND vs SL: Hardik Pandya alleviates injury fears after scare during 1st T20, says ‘It was just cramps’ – Check out
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