Hardik Pandya, the Indian captain, came down for some heavy criticism by Indian cricket fans, as the Men in Blue lost the second T20I of the five-match series to West Indies in Guyana and went 0-2 down in the series. Indian fans criticised Hardik Pandya’s captaincy and decision-making skills during the second T20I against West Indies.
On August 6, 2023, the thrilling second Twenty20 International between West Indies and India took place at the Providence stadium in Guyana. Having secured a 1-0 series lead with a narrow 4-run win in the first match in Trinidad, West Indies was eager to continue their momentum.
Before the match, India faced a setback as Kuldeep Yadav got injured and was replaced by Ravi Bishnoi. After winning the toss, Hardik Pandya made the right decision to bat first.
India’s young talent, Tilak Varma, impressed everyone with his outstanding batting performance, reaching his first T20I fifty in only his second game. Contributions from Ishan Kishan (27) and Hardik Pandya (24) helped India reach a total of 152/7. The West Indies bowlers had a good time on the challenging pitch, with Romario Shepherd, Alzarri Joseph, and Akeal Hosein securing two wickets each.
West Indies faced a tough start to their chase as Brandon King and Johnson Charles were dismissed in the first over by Hardik Pandya’s excellent bowling. Although Kyle Mayers (15) fell to Arshdeep Singh, Nicholas Pooran launched a counterattack.
Pooran’s brilliant innings of 67 off 40 balls, including six fours and four sixes, turned the game in favor of West Indies. Despite Yuzvendra Chahal dismissing Shimron Hetmyer (22) and Jason Holder, the match remained tense. With only 24 runs needed to win, Hardik Pandya had the opportunity to remove Chahal but opted to bowl Mukesh Kumar and Arshdeep Singh instead. Ravi Bishnoi was impressive with his four overs, conceding only 31 runs, while Hardik Pandya couldn’t dismiss Akshar Patel in his single over.
Ultimately, the decision not to utilize Chahal’s bowling proved costly for India, as Akeal Hosein (16*) and Alzarri Joseph (10*) guided West Indies to a nail-biting victory with 2 wickets in hand and 7 balls to spare.
With this win, the hosts extended their lead in the series to 2-0, and the third T20I is scheduled to be played in Guyana on August 8.
However, Indian cricket fans expressed their dissatisfaction with Hardik Pandya’s captaincy and decision-making on social media, particularly the choice not to bowl out Chahal and not using Axar Patel at all.
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