For the first time in history, Team India was defeated in back-to-back T20Is against the West Indies in a bilateral series. The Hardik Pandya-led side, which was scheduled to start preparing for the T20 World Cup next year, lost the first match of the five-game series by 4 runs while failing to chase down 152 and then suffered a two-wicket loss last week while failing to defend 152. With India on the verge of a 17-year low, captain Hardik Pandya and head coach Rahul Dravid have been heavily chastised for their selection decisions and team strategy.
However, a former India fast bowler has come to Dravid’s defense, blaming Hardik for the two defeats. If the team management is credited with a win, they are chastised if they lose. That has always been the case because management, which includes the coaching staff, the captain, the deputy, and a few senior players, decides on the gameplan and strategies for a tour or each match.
Former cricketer Dodda Ganesh, on the other hand, believes that India’s defeat was due to on-field decisions made by captain Hardik rather than pre-determined tactics by Dravid. As a result, he chastised detractors for blaming the Indian legend for the two defeats.
“Stop chastising Rahul Dravid for everything. Today, he played no part in the captain’s juggling of his bowlers. ” Rahul has recently become a soft target because he doesn’t say much in the media. #DoddaMathu #CricketTwitter #WIvIND,” he said.
India had beautifully clawed their way back into the game when Mukesh Kumar halted Nicholas Pooran’s counter-attacking 67-run effort in the 14th over. Yuzvendra Chahal struck twice in an over, taking two wickets—Shimron Hetmyer and Jason Holder—while Romario Sepherd was run out in the opening ball of the over.
Despite the fact that the West Indies were eight down and needed 23 off 24 with Akeal Hosein as their last batsman and Chahal still having an over left, it appeared an implausible aim. India was confident of tying the series. Instead of returning to Chahal for the 18th or 19th over, Hardik stayed with the pacers, which cost them the game. The hosts kept their cool to finish the chase with seven balls to spare.
‘Rahul Dravid doesn’t support Hardik Pandya like…,’ says the former India cricketer. The Wall’s T20I coaching role
Rahul Dravid’s backing for Hardik Pandya isn’t the same as it was for Ashish Nehra, according to Parthiv Patel. IAMGE
When Hardik Pandya led the Gujarat Titans to their first IPL title in their debut season, India may have found the answer to the question, ‘Who after Rohit Sharma?’ This remained until the T20 World Cup in Australia, when, following India’s quarterfinal loss to England, the captaincy was quietly handed over to Hardik. Rohit may not have officially stood down as India’s T20I captain, but despite his repeated insistence on not abandoning the format, the fact is that India’s T20I structure has moved on from him and Virat Kohli. It is time for the younger blood to take center stage, as it did in 2007.
However, while everything appears to be in order, the truth is proving to be far-fetched. Hardik is under fire after back-to-back losses to the 7th-ranked West Indies, and one more loss might make him the first India skipper to lose a bilateral series to the West Indies in 17 years. Despite guiding India in 12 T20Is and possessing a victory percentage of 66.7, Hardik’s captaincy has been appropriately criticized for some unexpected decisions.
Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel discussed a handful of recent errors in Hardik’s captaincy with Cricbuzz. Parthiv believes Hardik’s time as India captain has been less productive than his two seasons with Gujarat because of the support he receives from coach Rahul Dravid, as opposed to Ashish Nehra, his coach at GT. Dravid’s former India teammate Parthiv has also expressed reservations and misgivings about Dravid’s skills as a T20 coach, leading to confusing decision-making.
“There have been a couple of instances where Hardik Pandya’s captaincy has made glaring errors.” The first was giving it to Axar Patel when Nicholas Pooran came out to bat in the first game. And now for today. Hardik Pandya, the skipper, has been outstanding with GT, but he had the assistance of Ashish Nehra at Gujarat Titans. But is Rahul Dravid the proactive coach or person we seek in the T20 format? No, I don’t believe so. In my opinion, we require someone who is proactive. “Hardik Pandya has that spark, but he needs that support, which Rahul Dravid, in my opinion, does not provide,” Parthiv stated on Cricbuzz.
Parthiv on how Hardik misjudged the game in the second T20I
Following a tight 4-run defeat in the first T20I, India let the game slip away when they failed to defend 12 off the final two overs against the tail of the West Indies. Hardik’s decision not to give Yuzvendra Chahal, who had two wickets in the 16th over, a fourth over with three balls left in the innings has been widely panned. Mukesh Kumar bowled the penultimate over, allowing the West Indies to go 2-0 up in just five deliveries. Parthiv, like several other former cricketers, believes that keeping Chahal for the final over cost India the game.
“See, a T20 format is usually something that changes in the middle of a game. One decision here and there, which in this case was Hardik Pandya’s refusal to hand over the ball to Chahal. He did not complete his quota of four overs, which to mde turned the game in favor of the West Indies,” remarked the former keeper hitter.
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