By: Tarish Bhatt
Fresh from Australia, where the Indian batsmen scored heap of runs, a grass-covered Pune track came as a complete surprise for the Indian team.
It had bounce and juice to test even the best in the business, and Sri Lanka pacers not only tested India but also brought them down to the ground in the 1st T20.
Indians failed to negotiate the bounce and pace, and never looked at ease. They did play some rash shots, but they had very little to contribute in the collapse.
Starting the series on an unfamiliar conditions at home has put India behind Sri Lanka in the three-match series, and they have also lost the top-spot in the rankings.
India captain MS Dhoni looked frustrated in the post-match presentation with the wicket he got at home, and compared it to the pitches in England.
“The wicket was completely different to what we have been playing in the last one month,” Dhoni said. “It was more like an English wicket. There was spongy bounce, and variable pace.”
“We played quite a few big shots. Maybe not the kind of shots we should be playing on a spongy wicket.”
“This was a 135-140 kind of wicket because there was some help for the fast bowlers. It was more English conditions than Indian conditions.”
“Our shot selection should have been better,” he concluded. “Looking at the positives, everybody got a chance today, and we kept pressing hard.”
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