After Team India's T20I series loss at the hands of the West Indies, skipper Hardik Pandya had to bear the brunt of criticism on social media. The all-rounder was heavily criticised for his statement post-match. (More Cricket news)
Hardik, who had mentioned during the ODI series that he wouldn't mind being unique when quizzed of a series loss after 17 years, said that a 'one-off' defeat doesn't matter.
"In hindsight, one series here or there doesn't matter but the commitment to the goal is important," Hardik said after the match in Florida. He was also of the opinion that people should read too much into this series defeat as the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA is a long way away.
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However, fellow teammate and ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, did not agree with Hardik's comments. "I don't think it is too early (to talk about T20 World Cup)," he said on his YouTube channel. Ashwin agreed that it was disappointing to lose a series to West Indies but also added that touring in the Caribbean islands can be difficult for youngsters.
"There are plenty of positives from this T20I series. It is very easy to criticise the team on social media since they lost to a team that didn't qualify for the last T20 World Cup. They haven't qualified for the upcoming 50-over World Cup as well. I want to give a piece of information to you guys.
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"I am not talking, backing, or supporting anybody. All of these are secondary. As a youngster, if you are going to the West Indies, there will be some challenges. In all countries, there will be some innate secrets. The local players know these things more than visiting players. Especially if the players are young," Ashwin added.
The all-rounder gave West Indies the credit for a highly-contested series win. "(WI fans) Credit to West Indies. They didn’t qualify for both the T20I and ODI World Cups. Their entire island looked disappointed because of this. They spoke about the rich legacy they once had. In fact, a taxi driver told me how intensely they follow the game. They follow the game with insane passion even today."
Ashwin then went on to quote MS Dhoni and shared an important lesson. "MS Dhoni and a few coaches of mine have said this: 'When you lose you learn so many things. But people who learn even when they win, will become champions," he added.
Ashwin praised the performances of Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and the opening duo of Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal. He also pointed out the lack of batting depth in the T20 team as an area of concern ahead of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Lack of batters down the order was one of the reason behind India's loss in the first T20I.
