IND vs NZ: "I Can't Answer This Question" - Gautam Gambhir 'Massively Surprised' By Hardik Pandya's Call In 2nd T20I

Gautam Gambhir, a former cricketer for India, disagreed with Hardik Pandya’s decision to limit Yuzvendra Chahal to just two overs. Instead, Hardik chose to have part-timer Deepak Hooda bowl 4 overs for New Zealand in the second T20I.

During the second Twenty20 International between India and New Zealand, spinners were in charge.

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Yuzvendra Chahal was added to the playing XI of the Indian cricket side while Umran Malik was replaced for the second Twenty20 International against New Zealand. Chahal, however, only bowled Two overs in the game despite being sent in to offer wickets on a “spin-friendly” surface.

Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir said that the decision came as a “huge surprise” when asked about it by captain Hardik Pandya. Even so, Gambhir admitted he “can’t answer this question.”

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“A massive surprise. I can’t answer this question, especially on this wicket. Chahal is your go-to spinner in the T20 format. “It makes no sense to me to ask him to bowl two overs, in which he took the crucial wicket of Finn Allen, and then not use his full quota of overs, “ Gautam Gambhir stated after the game on Star Sports.

“I feel Hardik Pandya missed a trick”: Gautam Gambhir

Gambhir concurs that young players like Arshdeep Singh and Shivam Mavi should be given a chance, but he also believes that if Chahal had bowled his entire allotted number of overs, New Zealand would have been dismissed for 80 or 85 runs. Gambhir described it as a “huge surprise” that Hardik preferred to make Deepak Hooda bowl four overs.

“Yes, you want to give young players like Arshdeep Singh and Shivam Mavi another chance. However, Chahal may have been bowled in the penultimate over or earlier,” Gautam Gambhir said.

“So I believe he missed it. He could have bowled New Zealand for 80 or 85 runs, and on this pitch, you don’t want to let the opponent off the hook. Surprisingly, Hooda was asked to bowl four overs but not Chahal, “Gautam Gambhir stated after the game on Star Sports.

Only Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, and Deepak Hooda completed their allotted overs, leaving Washington Sundar with one more to bowl.

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Virat Kohli | Rohit Sharma | Rishabh Pant | KL Rahul | Suryakumar Yadav | Sanju Samson | Shreyas Iyer | Yuzvendra Chahal | Jasprit Bumrah