NEW DELHI: India captain Hardik Pandya on Wednesday highlighted his captaincy philosophy. Pandya, who claimed 4 wickets and scored 30 off 17 balls in the third and final T20I against New Zealand, said he looks to keep things simple and backs his gut. India hammered New Zealand by 168 runs to win series 2-1 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
"To be honest, I always play the game like this (On doing things out of the box). I try to read what is required, not have preconceived ideas. In my captaincy, I look to keep it simple and back my gut. I have a simple rule - if I go down, I will go down on my terms," Pandya said in the post-match presentation.
The 29-year-old, who got the Player of the Series Award, credited the support staff for the success.
1/10:Shubman Gill's maiden T20I ton helps India crush NZ to clinch series
2/10:Gill smashes unbeaten 126
<p>Opener Shubman Gill smashed an unbeaten 126 to help India clinch the T20 international series against New Zealand with a crushing 168-run victory in the decider on Wednesday.<br /><br /><br /></p>AFP
3/10:Gill steers India to 234-4
<p>Gill recorded his maiden T20 century for India as he steered the team to 234-4 after they elected to bat first at the world's biggest cricket ground in Ahmedabad.<br /></p>AFP
4/10:Gill smashes highest score by an Indian in T20Is
<p>Gill smashed the highest score by an Indian in T20I cricket, scoring 126* in just 63 balls surpassing Virat Kohli, who had smashed 122* against Afghanistan during the Asia Cup last year in September.<br /></p>IANS
5/10:Kiwis skittled out for 66
<p>Indian bowlers skittled out the Kiwis for a paltry 66 in 12.1 overs for a 2-1 series win. The hosts had whitewashed the Kiwis in three one-day matches.<br /></p>ANI
6/10:India post biggest-ever win in T20Is
<p>The huge victory was India's biggest ever in T20 internationals and the biggest margin by runs in a match played between two Test-playing nations.<br /></p>IANS
7/10:Gill smacks 12 fours and seven sixes
<p>India elected to bat first on a batting-friendly pitch and Gill continued his magnificent run of form -- hitting 12 fours and seven sixes in his 63-ball innings.<br /></p>PTI
8/10:Gill continues his fine run
<p>Gill had also put the New Zealand bowling to the sword with a double hundred and a ton during the ODI series.<br /></p>IANS
9/10:Gill-Pandya put on 103 runs for fourth wicket
<p>Gill put on 103 runs for the fourth wicket with skipper Hardik Pandya, who made 30 and then took four wickets with his pace bowling, at the 132,000-seater Narendra Modi Stadium.<br /></p>AFP
10/10:Bracewell traps Ishan early
<p>Off-spinner Michael Bracewell struck early as he trapped Ishan Kishan lbw for one in the second over of the innings.<br /></p>AFP"I don't mind winning (man of the series award), but there were so many performances here that were exceptional. This Man of the Series and trophy goes out to the whole support staff, I'm happy for all of them," he said.
Asked about the decision to bat first, Pandya recalled the IPL 2022 final when he was leading the Gujarat Titans and said that he wanted to make the decider match a normal one.
"We've spoken about taking challenges. When we played the IPL final, we felt the second innings was more spicy but on this surface today I wanted to make it a normal game because it was a decider. Hence, we batted first. Hopefully, we can continue performing like this," said Hardik.
