Hardik Pandya Concedes Most Runs By An Indian In A T20I Series

Before the start of the T20I series against New Zealand, the Indian bowling lineup was garnering attention for all the right reasons and the thoroughly deserved it. The bowlers were one of the reasons behind India’s recent domination across formats. Just days before landing in New Zealand, the bowlers had played a pivotal role in India’s historic tour of Australia. India had defeated Australia in Tests and ODIs to register their first-ever series wins in both the formats on the Australian soil.

The bowlers did well in the ODI series against New Zealand too, helping India beat the hosts 4-1 and register only their second ODI series win in the country. However, things have gone pretty downhill since then. In the first T20I, the Kiwis slammed a mammoth 219 for 6.  As many as three bowlers – Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed and Hardik Pandya – conceded over 40 runs with Pandya’s 51 being the highest runs conceded. Yuzvendra Chahal was the most economical bowler after conceding 35 runs. India had gone on to lose the game by 80 runs.

The bowlers managed to do well in the second game, restricting New Zealand for a modest 158 for 8. Not a single bowler conceded more than 37 runs. India won the game by seven wickets to draw level in the three-match series.

However, the bowlers had a bad day at the office in the all-important third T20I on Sunday too. Rohit Sharma pinned their hopes on the bowlers once again and decided to bowl first. But his decision turned out to be a regrettable one as the visitors conceded a mammoth 212 for 4 in the series decider. Kuldeep Yadav was the only bowler who managed to concede less than 30 as he ended the innings with figures of 2 for 26. Krunal Pandya was the costliest bowler, conceding 54 runs off his four overs.

And now the poor bowling in the series has seen three bowlers – Hardik Pandya, Khaleel Ahmed and Krunal Pandya – create a dubious record. The three have now become the Indian bowlers to concede most runs in a three-match T20I series. While Hardik conceded 131 runs, Khaleel and Krunal ended the series by conceding 122 and 119 runs respectively.
119 Krunal Pandya