Chasing a modest 150 on the night, Team India failed to capitalise on a good bowling performance and let a comfortable win out of their grasps in the 1st T20I on July 3.
What looked like a walk in the park at first with the Men in Blue needing 37 runs in five overs with six wickets in hand, suddenly started to appear like a mountain to climb after a series of dismissals saw India tumble down to 144/9 in the end.
Skipper Hardik Pandya however, wasn't too bothered with the result and downplayed the poor start to the 5-match series. He was full of praise for Tilak Varma and Mukesh Kumar, the two debutants on the day as well.
“Brilliant. First of all Mukesh, to have the two weeks he has had here where he made is debut in all three formats is really good. Genuinely, he's a nice guy. He has a very good heart, a big heart, wants to contribute for the team. He bowled a couple of overs back to back and that was fantastic,” said Pandya in the post-match presentation ceremony.
“Tilak - very pleasing to see the way he started his innings. Not a bad way to start your international cricket with a couple of sixes. You can see the confidence and the fearlessness they have. Going forward, they are going to do wonders for India,” he further said.
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