IND vs SL 2021: "It was the demand of the situation"- Kamran Akmal defends Shikhar Dhawan's slow innings

Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal defended Shikhar Dhawan's slow knock in the second T20I against Sri Lanka. Dhawan used up 42 deliveries in his innings of 40 runs.

While some believe Dhawan's was a slow knock as per T20 standards, Kamran Akmal opined that the Indian skipper had no option but to play the anchor's role.

Once Krunal Pandya tested positive for COVID-19, all the seven players in close contact with him had to be isolated. They weren't available for selection and India had to bank on just five batsmen available in the squad.

Kamran Akmal felt that under such circumstances, it was a responsible knock from Dhawan.

"Dhawan knew that there was not much batting and tried to take his innings as deep as possible. Although the strike rate was less, it was the demand of the situation and the team for him to play that way. If he had been dismissed early, India would not have been able to score even as much as they did," Kamran Akmal said on his YouTube Channel.

India showed great fight till the end: Kamran Akmal

Kamran Akmal was also impressed with a spirited performance by India on the field while defending a modest total of 132. The bowlers were brilliant and made Sri Lanka earn every single run until the very last over.

Akmal feels India can still take confidence from this game going into the series decider on Thursday.

They will need to score more runs as according to Kamran Akmal, another 10-15 runs would have made things difficult for the hosts.

"It was an outstanding performance from India to take the game so close. Had they played with six proper batsmen, they could havs scored 10-15 extra runs and that would have been difficult for Sri Lanka. But the captaincy was good and they showed great fight till the end," Kamran Akmal signed off.