'You cannot take 20-25 balls to get settled' - Parthiv Patel questions Hardik Pandya's intent after India's defeat to England

The third T20I of the five-match series between India and England went in the favour of the visitors, as they won by 26 runs at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. Opting to bowl first for the third time in a row, India restricted England for a modest 171 on the board. However, in response, the hosts could put on only 145/9. Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya ended the game with 2/33 in his four-over quota and a 35-ball 40.

Former Indian cricketer Parthiv Patel, who played 34 matches along with Hardik at Mumbai Indians, was criticial of his former teammate's performance, stating that he took too long to settle. He also pointed out that several dot deliveries which piled the pressure on his partners in the middle.   

“I thought when you are taking your time you want to get used to the pace and bounce of the pitch. But you cannot take 20-25 balls to get settled. So, that put pressure on the other batters as well. If you don’t want to play those big shots, that’s okay, but you still have to keep on rotating the strike. You can’t play three or four dot balls in a row," Parthiv told Star Sports.

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"And you might just see Hardik Pandya scoring 40 off 35 balls, but there are a number of dots in his innings that put pressure on the other batters as well. So, I think that’s something which India can think of. You take your time. Yes, it’s a low score, but you still have to keep rotating the strike as well with it,” he added.

Notably, Hardik's uncharacteristic knock contained 12 dots. He was dismissed by Jamie Overton in the penultimate over of the run-chase by getting caught at long-off. Meanwhile, India and England will contest in the fourth match of the series in Pune on January 31.