"I’ve left it behind; can’t go back and change things"- Stand-in captain Hardik Pandya on India's T20 WC disaster
India's T20 World Cup campaign ended with a horrible loss in the semi-final of the tournament, when England thrashed them by 10 wickets. That ended yet another campaign for India in an ICC event. India hasn't won a single ICC tournament since 2013.
Thus, the semi-final loss to England came as a huge disappointment for 1.3 billion fans across the country. However, former cricketers were also unhappy with the way India lost the semi-final and criticised the Indian think tank. Many suggested different-different things within the team.
However, India's stand-in captain, Hardik Pandya, has come up with a statement now and has said that they can't do anything now. Team India is on tour to New Zealand for three T20Is and three ODIs, starting November 18. The BCCI has rested Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli, while Hardik and Shikhar Dhawan are the captains in T20Is and ODIs.
The first T20I game, which was scheduled to be played on Friday at the Sky Stadium in Wellington, ended without a result. It got abandoned due to the rain. After the game, the Indian skipper said that he has left all the memories of the T20 World Cup behind and wants to focus on the upcoming series.
Hardik said, "The World Cup is done, I’ve left it behind. The disappointment will be there, but we can’t go back and change things. We’re now looking forward to this series."
However, after the game was called off, the Indian stand-in skipper said that the players were excited to play in New Zealand, but it was unfortunate that the game ended without play. He also spoke about the young team that will play in the series in the absence of senior players.
Hardik said, "These guys are young by age but not by experience. They have played plenty of IPL and got a good amount of Internationals as well."
Hardik concluded by saying that it is a great chance for these youngsters to grab the opportunity with both hands and perform to prove that they belong on this stage. Apart from senior players, the management has also given rest to head coach Rahul Dravid, and it is VVS Laxman who is the interim head coach of the team.