The cricketing community is still puzzled by Hardik Pandya’s decision to prevent Yuzvendra Chahal from bowling his fourth over in the second T20I match against the West Indies.
Hardik Pandya had won over a lot of new admirers with his leadership abilities over the last year or so, but his strange choices in the second T20I match against West Indies cost him some very important brownie points. Many former Indian cricketers questioned Hardik’s choice to ignore Yuzvendra Chahal in the last few overs, placing him in the firing line. The former India batsman Robin Uthappa, who acknowledged being astounded by Hardik’s choice, encapsulated his feelings about the Chahal call in a single word.
Uthappa stated in a discussion on Jio Cinema on Sunday, following the completion of the second T20I, “I have one term — one Gen-Z expression for this time — ‘pooof,’ and not in a positive manner.
Uthappa acknowledged that despite Chahal’s wrist-spinner’s success in the 16th over, which saw him dismiss Shimron Hetmyer and Jason Holder, Hardik did not continue to use him.
I am just astonished at how you can effectively end the game when a player takes three wickets in a single over by not bringing him back for a fourth.
“Alzarri Joseph won’t be able to compete with Yuzi Chahal’s expertise and sophistication. He is skilled at bowling to these batsmen in the lower order and at getting them out. And with three over remaining, Akeal Hosein won’t challenge him at that point. Instead of three overs left, he may have backed himself with two overs left. You were aware that there had been a mistake in judgement there, he continued.
There is no space for error in the final three T20Is against West Indies because India is already 0-2 down.
