Last Update: January 31, 2023, 20:40 IST
India batsman Suryakumar Yadav (AP Image)
After India’s victory in the second T20, captain Hardik Pandya lashed out at the pitch at Ekana, terming it shocking.
bright India Batsman Suryakumar Yadav played down the controversy surrounding the second T20I pitch, which had come under the scanner for not being conducive to the shortest format. Suryakumar, who is India’s vice-captain for the ongoing New Zealand T20I, said that the pitch is not under the control of the team and it is their job to adapt to the conditions and play accordingly.
After India’s victory in the second T20, captain Hardik Pandya lashed out at the pitch at Ekana, terming it shocking. The curator was blamed for the disturbance and was sacked.
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Surya revealed that after the Lucknow T20I he had a chat with the captain and decided that the team will play whatever (the pitch) comes their way.
“We (Hardik and I) had a conversation afterwards, and it was like, whatever we get in the future, we will go with it. It’s perfectly fine,” Surya said on the eve of the series decider in Motera.
The 32-year-old suggested that it is important to have some competition in the game and if it is because of the pitch, then the team has to accept the challenge and move on.
“It doesn’t matter on which surface you play. These are the things which are not in your control. We did what was in our control, we had to adapt, apply on that basis and move on with the situation. Had to move. But it was an exciting game.
“Any game, ODI or T20I, low or high scoring, if there is competition in the game, the wicket, I don’t think, matters much. You go out there, take a challenge, accept it and move on,” Surya said.
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In difficult conditions, New Zealand had reduced India to 83/7 with the hosts needing 17 runs from the last two overs, with Surya and Hardik in the middle.
Both brought the equation to six runs from the last over.
“Actually, we have been batting together for a very long time. We have had some good partnerships in the past.
“At that point, it was very important for us to have good communication and a good atmosphere because we knew it was a bit tense in the last over.
He said of his strategy, “We were just laughing, supporting each other and telling each other that whoever got the chance, let’s try and finish the game.”
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