"Umran Malik didn't bowl his full quota of overs" - Wasim Jaffer suggests India to play an extra batter in second T20I against New Zealand
Former Indian Test cricketer Wasim Jaffer has opined that Hardik Pandya and Co. should slot in an extra batter for a bowler in the second T20I against New Zealand in Lucknow. The 31-Test veteran noted that Deepak Hooda can also bowl, which is why the hosts can afford to play an extra batter.
India went with a bowling-heavy line-up for the first T20I in Ranchi on Friday (January 27) and struggled to chase a stiff total of 177, with only Suryakumar Yadav and Washington Sundar standing up with the bat. While India's frontline spinners did a commendable job, their pace bowlers struggled to contain the flow of runs.
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When asked if the absence of an extra batter impacted India's chase in Ranchi, Jaffer opined that there's room to make a change. He felt India could drop Umran Malik and accommodate Jitesh Sharma or bring in Prithvi Shaw to open the innings.
With Lucknow being a large ground, he expects Deepak Hooda to chip in with a few overs as well. He said:
"They can do that by dropping Umran Malik to bring in Jitesh Sharma in the middle order or open with Prithvi Shaw and Ishan Kishan can bat down the order. Umran Malik didn't bowl his full quota of overs in the first T20I, while Shivam Mavi also bowled only two.
"Deepak Hooda can also bowl a few overs. Lucknow is a big ground, so I expect Hooda to bowl. So, they can play an extra batter."
Malik came under criticism for bowling pace when the pitch dictated cutters on the same as his only over went for 16 runs without a wicket. Arshdeep Singh proved to be the most expensive bowler as he leaked 51 in four overs, including 27 off the 20th over.
"India would be under pressure" - Wasim Jaffer
While Jaffer predicts India will bounce back given their history, he reckons the side will be under pressure. The 44-year-old added:
"No doubt India have to make a good comeback and they have done it before. The conditions would be different in Lucknow and the pitch might not offer that much spin. Nevertheless, India would be under pressure."
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.
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The first T20I was New Zealand's first win of the tour as previously lost the ODI series 3-0.