Last Updated: January 31, 2023, 20:40 IST
India batsman Suryakumar Yadav (AP Image)
After India’s nervy victory in the second T20I, skipper Hardik Pandya lashed out at the Ekana Pitch and termed it a shocker.
Flamboyant India batter Suryakumar Yadav has played down the controversy surrounding the 2nd T20I Ekana pitch which came under the scanner for not being well suited for the shortest format. Suryakumar, who is India’s vice-captain for the ongoing New Zealand T20Is, said that the pitch is not in the team’s control and it’s their job to adapt to the conditions and play accordingly.
After India’s nervy victory in the second T20I, skipper Hardik Pandya lashed out at the Ekana Pitch and termed it a shocker. The curator was blamed for the fiasco and had been sacked.
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Surya revealed that he had a chat with the skipper after the Lucknow T20I and decided that the team will go on whatever (pitch) comes their way.
“We (Hardik and I) had a chat later on, and it was like, whatever we got in future we will go with it. It’s completely fine,” Surya said on the eve of the series decider at Motera.
The 32-year-old suggested that it’s important to have some competition in the game and if it is due to the pitch, then the team has to accept the challenge and move on.
“It doesn’t matter what soil you play on. These are the things which aren’t in your control. We did what we had in our control, we had to adapt, apply on that ground and move on with the situation. But it was an exciting game.
“Any game, ODI or T20I, low or high scoring, if there’s competition in the game, wickets, I don’t think, matter a lot. You go out there, have a challenge, accept it and move on,” Surya added.
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In tricky conditions, New Zealand had reduced India to 83/7 and the hosts needed 17 runs from the last two overs, with Surya and Hardik in the middle.
The duo brought down the equation to six runs from the last over.
“Actually, we have been batting together for a very long time now. We had some good partnerships in the past.
“At that time, it was very important for us to have good communication and have a nice atmosphere as we knew that it was a little tense in the last over.
“We were just having a laugh, backing each other and telling each other whoever got an opportunity let’s try and finish the game,” he said about their strategy.
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