'Everyone thinks that Hardik is next leader of Indian cricket': Pandya's captaincy slammed

India and West Indies locked horns against each other in the second T20I of their five-match series on Sunday. West Indies defeated India by 2 wickets to take a 2-0 lead in the contest. Defending a target of 153 runs in Guyana, India struggled to contain the West Indies batters, and Nicholas Pooran's outstanding knock of 67 off 40 deliveries secured victory for the hosts. The Indian team is since receiving a lot of criticism on social media, especially captain Hardik Pandya, who made some big blunders that eventually costed India the game.  

3 things you need to know

• Yuzvendra Chahal was India's best spinner in the 2nd T20I
• Chahal picked up 3 crucial wickets in his penultimate over
• Hardik Pandya did not allow him to complete his full quota of overs

Also Read: 'Baffling He Didn't Bowl Again': Ex-India Players Slam Hardik Pandya's Handling Of Chahal

Wasim Jaffer slams Hardik Pandya's captaincy

Yuzvendra Chahal played a crucial role in causing a mini-collapse for the Windies during the 16th over, taking two wickets and contributing to a runout, which left the hosts in trouble at 129/8 after being 126/4 earlier. Despite Chahal's impressive performance, there was surprise among fans when Hardik Pandya, decided not to give him the chance to bowl his final over. Instead, he handed the ball to Mukesh Kumar and Arshdeep Singh, who failed to contain the runs.

[Hardik Pandya gets stumped during the IND vs WI 2nd T20I game in Guyana; Image: AP]

Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer expressed his shock at the captaincy decision, questioning why Chahal was not given his final over. Jaffer emphasized that Chahal's impressive performance should have earned him the opportunity to finish the game, and he also raised concerns about the lack of faith shown in Axar Patel's bowling.

"Very surprising, especially Chahal not bowling his fourth over and Axar not bowling even one over. I am kind of surprised, because everyone thinks that Hardik is the next leader of Indian white ball cricket and for him to not show faith in Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel is a little surprising. The guy who bought you in the game (Chahal) and for you to not trust him in the fourth over shocks me. He could have probably finished the game. I am as surprised as everybody right now," Jaffer said on ESPNCricinfo.

"I am also very, very surprised. I thought he bowled the 18th over (16th), but he should have definitely bowled the 19th over," Jaffer added.

Also Read: 'We Have Been Losing': West Indies Batter's Bold Claim After Handing Defeat To India

India's batting performance was also underwhelming, with only Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma managing to score in double-digits. Varma top-scored for India with 51 off 41 balls, but Jaffer believed that one of the top-order batsmen needs to anchor the innings, allowing the others to play around them, especially on challenging pitches like the one in the match against West Indies.

Image: AP