"He didn't seem to have any plans" - Danish Kaneria questions Hardik Pandya's captaincy
Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria believes that Team India skipper Hardik Pandya erred tactically during the T20I series opener against New Zealand on Friday, January 27.
Kaneria opined that the Indian captain didn't rotate the bowlers smartly. He expressed his displeasure over Pandya bringing in pacer Shivam Mavi quite late into the attack.
He pointed out that Pandya should have also given an extra over to part-time spinner Deepak Hooda, considering the nature of the wicket.
Speaking on his YouTube channel after the match, Kaneria explained:
"Hardik Pandya was not smart with his rotation of bowlers. He brought Shivam Mavi into the attack very late. He should have been brought in early. He could have also used Deepak Hooda a bit more, given the amount of turn that was on offer. This is where Hardik erred tactically. He didn't seem to have any plans."
Notably, Mavi was brought into the attack in the 13th over of the New Zealand innings. He managed to pick up a single wicket while conceding 19 runs from his two overs.
Hooda, on the other hand, bowled just two overs and went for 14 runs. The Men in Blue's death bowling woes came back to haunt them as the Kiwi batters accumulated runs quickly towards the backend of the innings to reach a total of 176 runs.
"Hardik Pandya didn't bowl well with the new ball" - Danish Kaneria
Hardik Pandya has often bowled with the new ball in India's recent T20I encounters. While he has done a fairly good job with the ball lately, Danish Kaneria was critical of his bowling performance against New Zealand.
The 42-year-old stated that the all-rounder failed to make full use of the new ball in the contest. He noted that it allowed the New Zealand openers to score runs freely, giving their team an impressive start.
On this, he said:
"The Indian bowlers leaked a lot of runs. Hardik Pandya didn't bowl well with the new ball. He did not hit the right areas. New Zealand openers Devon Conway and Finn Allen showed great aggression, attacking the Indian bowlers right from the start."
Pandya went wicketless and gave away 33 runs from three overs. He got a decent start with the bat during India's run chase. However, he wasn't able to convert it into a big one and was dismissed for 21.
Hardik Pandya and Co. ultimately suffered a 21-run loss in the fixture. They will aim to bounce back in the upcoming second T20I, which is must-win for them.
That's that from Ranchi.
New Zealand win the first T20I by 21 runs in Ranchi.
#TeamIndia will look to bounce back in the second #INDvNZ T20I.
@mastercardindia https://t.co/Lg8zmzwYVH
The match will be played at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Sunday, January 29.