Hardik Pandya’s Knock Put Pressure on Other India Batters’: Parthiv Patel Criticizes All-Rounder’s Approach in Rajkot T20I Loss

Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel has criticized Hardik Pandya’s slow-paced innings, citing it as a key reason for India’s failure to chase down a manageable target against England in the third T20I in Rajkot on Tuesday night.

Chasing 172, India faced early trouble at 48 for three in the Powerplay when Pandya walked in. However, the all-rounder struggled to maintain momentum, opting to take the game deep. While he struck a couple of late sixes and even declined a single with Dhruv Jurel to retain strike, Pandya eventually fell in the 19th over after scoring 40 off 35 balls. India ultimately lost by 26 runs, with Pandya finishing as the top scorer. Despite that, Patel—his former Mumbai Indians teammate—was not impressed with his approach.

“If you take time to settle in, you need to adjust to the pitch’s pace and bounce. But you can’t take 20-25 balls just to get set—that puts pressure on other batters. If you don’t want to go for big shots, that’s fine, but you must keep rotating the strike. You can’t afford to play three or four dot balls in a row,” Patel said on Star Sports.

He further pointed out that Pandya’s high dot-ball percentage made things difficult for the other batters, particularly Washington Sundar, who struggled with a slow 6 off 15 balls during their fifth-wicket partnership.

“Hardik may have scored 40 off 35, but his dot balls added pressure on his partners. Even when chasing a low total, strike rotation is crucial,” Patel added.