"Why did he play for himself? I think he is preparing for Mumbai Indians and IPL" - Basit Ali slams Hardik Pandya for 45-ball 39 in IND-SA 2nd T20I
Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has criticized Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya for his snail-paced knock in the second T20I against South Africa at Gqeberha on November 10. Hardik came in to bat when India was reeling at 45/4 in eight overs after the Proteas won the toss and elected to field.
However, even after getting set at 33 off 35 deliveries, the 31-year-old struggled to provide India with the finishing kick. Hardik faced the final 10 balls of the innings by denying singles despite India being only six down with Arshdeep Singh at the other end.
Yet, he scored only six runs off those 10 deliveries as India ended with a sub-par total of 124/6 in 20 overs.
Speaking on his YouTube channel post-game, Basit Ali said:
"Pandya remained unbeaten, played for himself. Why did he play for himself? I think he is preparing for Mumbai Indians and IPL. It painted a very sorry picture, the way he was playing. He was not taking singles also, even though Arshdeep (Singh) had hit a six."
He added:
"India were not nine down that he was denying singles; they were just six down. He should have taken the singles. But he is a big player and India's favorite. Axar (Patel) batted better than him, who unfortunately got run out after scoring 27 runs off 21 balls."
Axar Patel was the only Indian batter to score at a strike rate of over 120 as the visitors struggled to cope with some excellent South African bowling.
Team India suffer first defeat in last 12 T20Is after Hardik Pandya's stuttering innings
Team India suffered their first T20I loss in 12 outings in the second T20I against South Africa, thanks to a dismal batting display. Yet, after scoring only 124, Suryakumar Yadav's men fought valiantly by reducing the hosts to 66/6 in the 13th over.
Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy produced a magical spell of 5/17 in four overs to have the Proteas reeling at 86/7 in the 16th over. However, an unbeaten 42-run stand between Tristan Stubbs and Gerald Coetzee helped South Africa pull off a three-wicket win with an over to spare.
With the series now level at 1-1, the two teams will head to Centurion for the penultimate encounter on Wednesday, November 13.