RANCHI: After losing the first T20 International against the Kiwis, India's man of the match Washington Sundar tried to brush aside the defeat saying it's a "one-off" game. Indeed, anything can happen in the shortest format where the margin of error is very thin but there are some areas that demand attention.
Going down by 21 runs, India captain Hardik Pandya admitted at the post-match presentation that they probably ended up giving away 25 runs more than the par score, which cost them dear.
"No one thought this wicket would play like that, both teams were surprised but New Zealand played better cricket. The new ball was turning more than the old ball. The way it turned and bounced surprised us but till the time Surya and I were batting, we thought we would pull it off. In hindsight, we ended up giving 25 runs more than the par," said Pandya.
Heaping praise on the young all-rounder, Pandya added, "The way Washington bowled, batted and fielded it was more like Washington against New Zealand than India against New Zealand. If he and Axar (Patel, absent due to family commitments) can continue the way they are, it will help Indian cricket a lot."
At the post-match press interaction, when asked if there's any change needed in the team or its approach, Washington replied, "I don't think that just because it was spinning so much, we have to address anything. It's just that one-off game. Had we got off to a better start, things would have been much different. Obviously, it did spin, and you will see such wickets here and there.
"People over here and players in our team have played on such wickets in the IPL and even in the Indian team. So, (it's) just that one-off game where certain things didn't go our way," added the Tamil Nadu player, who scored a brisk 28-ball 50 and returned with miserly figures of 2/22 along with a gravity-defying catch off his own bowling.
But the former Sunrisers Hyderabad player's reply was not good enough for a scribe who wanted to know if India should look for some changes in the top order.
The 23-year-old came up with a cheeky answer, saying, "Do you really think a change is needed? If you don't get your favourite biryani in one of the restaurants, you will never go to that restaurant? All of them have made so many runs. It's just one day. It happens to anyone – even they (New Zealand) collapsed in Raipur (108 all out in 2nd ODI).
"It did not mean they had to change their top order. It's a game where anything can happen. We will have to be patient. At the end of the day, it's a sport where both teams can't win and all 22 players can't perform well."
Washi, as he's fondly called, backed his pacer teammates who were taken to cleaners on Friday. Arshdeep Singh leaked 51 runs from his four overs with a wicket while quickster Umran Malik gave away 16 runs from his only over bowled. Shivam Mavi conceded 19 runs in his two overs.
"He (Arshdeep) has taken so many wickets – for India and in IPL. We are also human beings, we also want to play well. When the competition is very high and the opposition is of the highest quality such things can happen any day," Washington said, backing the left-arm seamer.
"The way Malik has bowled against Sri Lanka and New Zealand (in ODIs), we all know why he's here. He's an X-factor, someone who bowls above 150 consistently and that's a rare quality."
He also pointed at man-of-the-match Daryl Mitchel's innings to have made the difference on the night. "Obviously, Daryl's innings was very crucial for them. We would have been very happy with around 150. But he made the difference by actually getting a half-century," concluded the lanky spinning all-rounder.
