'I want to put team in difficult situations because...': Hardik Pandya on why Axar Patel bowled last over against SL

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By  India Blooms News Service   Jan 04, 2023

Indias T20 captain Hardik Pandya faced the probable question in the post-match presentation as to why he handed over the ball to spinner Axar Patel in the last over where Sri Lanka needed 13 runs to win.

In reply, Hardik gave some logic and a long-term plan in shaping his team, which were almost eliminated from big tournaments cheaply in the recent past.

Surprised to see Axar bowling the final over? Heres Captain @hardikpandya7 revealing the reason behind the move. #INDvSL #TeamIndia @mastercardindia pic.twitter.com/dewHMr93Yi

The skipper explained, I want to put this team into difficult situations because its gonna help us in big games. Bilaterals are something which we are very good at but I think this is how we are gonna keep challenging ourselves.

We might lose a game here and there, which is fine. I am okay with that because its gonna help us in the long term to be ready for the big games whenever the opportunity comes.

India took a 1-0 lead over Sri Lanka in the three-match T20 series by winning the first match by two runs.