Hardik Pandya slams’shocker of a pitch’ in a low-scoring thriller in Lucknow. India limited New Zealand to 99/8 before pursuing the mark with six wickets in hand on the last ball of the match.
After the completion of the second T20I between India and New Zealand on January 29, India skipper Hardik Pandya expressed his dissatisfaction with the surface at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.
Team India tied the three-match T20I series 1-1 by winning the second T20I by six wickets, setting up a thrilling decider on February 1 in Ahmedabad.
Meanwhile, Pandya called the Lucknow wicket a “shocker” as hitters from both teams battled on the slow track. The match featured 30 overs of spin with no sixes struck in either innings. India held New Zealand to 99/8 before pursuing the mark on the match’s last ball.
Pandya was blunt in his assessment that international cricket could not be played on such grounds. “To be honest, that was a stunner of a wicket,” the 29-year-old remarked after the game.
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These wickets were not made for T20: Hardik Pandya
He also claimed that he is willing to play cricket on challenging fields that would test the players, but this should not include wickets like the one in Lucknow, when scoring was nearly impossible. He also advised the pitch curators to prepare the songs ahead of time.
“Both of the games we’ve played thus far. I don’t mind playing on challenging pitches. I’m all for it, but these two wickets aren’t designed for T20. Somewhere down the road, the curators or the venues where we’ll be playing should make sure to prepare the pitches ahead of time “Pandya said.
“A winning total of 120 would have sufficed. Bowlers: they kept to their strategies and didn’t rotate the strike. We continued to spin the spinners. Dew didn’t have much of an impact on this. They were able to spin the ball faster than we could. It was moving along nicely. It was a shocking wicket “He went on to say.