Vizag loss hasn’t hurt Team India’s momentum, says Krunal Pandya ahead of Bengaluru clash

Indian fans might have been stunned by the loss their favourite team faced in the first T20I against Australia in Visakhapatnam on Sunday but all-rounder Krunal Pandya is not ready to give up yet in the series. India started off well in the game after Australia captain Aaron Finch won the toss and asked them to bat but a middle-order collapse saw the hosts getting restricted to a modest total of 126. India’s bowlers fought well to defend the score but eventually lost the game in the final ball of the match.

For the Indian bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah did fabulously well by picking three wickets for just 16 runs in his four overs. Left-arm orthodox Krunal was the second best of the bowlers picking up a wicket for just 17 runs. He said Team India did not lose momentum despite losing the series opener and instead learned a lot from almost defending the low total successfully. The two teams play in the second and final T20I in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

“It was a great bowling effort. Everyone chipped in and we almost defended the low total. We just have to be more cautious about our batting,” Krunal, brother of ace all-rounder Hardik, said ahead of the second T20I. Bumrah bowled a brilliant second-last over conceding just two runs when Australia needed 16 but the other pacer, Umesh Yadav, gave away the remaining 14 in the final over.

‘We are not losing consecutive games’

“Tomorrow is a very important game as we are 0-1 down but I would not say that we have lost momentum. We lost the other night but we are not losing consecutive games. I am sure we will do well tomorrow,” Krunal added.

India lost the first match of the T20I series of their last two overseas tours. In Australia, they lost the first but won the must-win third match after the second game was disrupted. In New Zealand, they won the second game after losing the first but lost the final game closely to squander the series. Australia, on the other hand, will look to win their first bilateral T20I series in India by dominating the second game as well.

Krunal, 27, is still in the early days of his international career with 10 T20Is since making debut against the Windies at home last November.

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from India vs Australia series, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.