Veteran Pakistani wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal added that Hardik Pandya has not been on the top of his captaincy game in the white-ball matches against the West Indies. He shared that the Indian skipper made quite a few mistakes in the second T20I against the West Indies in Guyana on Sunday, August 6. Akmal also shared that not giving Yuzvendra Chahal his full quota of four overs in the match hurt the visitors.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Kamran Akmal said: “Akeal Hosein and Akeal Hosein scored runs towards the end, which suggests that Hardik Pandya wasn’t up to the mark with his bowling changes. Yuzvendra Chahal brought India back into the game but wasn’t given his full quota of overs. This was a blunder. Also, Hardik Pandya made yet another mistake by not bowling Axar Patel. While he has been quite good as captain, his captaincy was very ordinary in the first two T20Is and in the ODI which India lost. This is not Hardik Pandya’s standard.”
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Notably, Yuzvendra Chahal picked up two crucial wickets and gave away just 19 runs from his three overs. However, Pandya handed the ball to Mukesh Kumar for the penultimate over of the run chase and that cost the game as well. Kamran Akmal also opined on how the Indian batters failed to build partnerships at crucial moments.
He stated: “Looking at the batting lineup of West Indies, the Indian batters should have scored at least 170. India have some big names in their side and a few batters have been in great form. When you have a batter like Suryakumar Yadav, 170-780 should be scored automatically. The Indian batters will have to play more responsibly. They need a good opening partnership. It is important for them to spend some time at the crease.”
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“Shubman Gill hit a six and tried to play another attacking shot on the very next ball and got out. He should be more responsible. Tournaments such as the Asia Cup and the World Cup are just around the corner, and he is one of India’s main batters. He has all the shots in his arsenal, along with power-hitting. He needs to find form and carry it into the upcoming big events. When a batter like this gets out early in two or three matches, he will definitely be under a lot of pressure. He should play better in the remaining three matches,” Kamran Akmal concluded.
