Suryakumar Yadav on Hardik Pandya's 'pitch was a shocker' comment; 'We had a team chat'

Indian batsman Suryakumar Yadav has reacted to Hardik Pandya's 'shocker of a wicket' comment, which the latter had made after the second T20I against New Zealand in Lucknow on Sunday. It was not just Hardik, even the Kiwi skipper Mitchell Santner was not happy with the pitch where they played the second T20I. The pitch curators were later fired and reports claimed that a brand new surface will be prepared at the venue for the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Suryakumar has now reacted to Hardik's statement, saying it doesn't matter what soil one plays on and that these are the things that are out of their control as a player. Suryakumar also said that they had to apply and adapt but dubbed it an exciting match because both teams were trying to compete. He went on to add that wicket shouldn't matter a lot and that they had a chat later on about where they decided to go on with it whatever they get in the future. 

"It doesn't matter what soil you play on. These are the things that aren't in your control. Whatever was in our control, we did in the last game. And we had to apply and adapt whatever we got. Also, it was an exciting game. No matter what the condition or the format is if both teams try to have a good competition... wickets shouldn't matter a lot. You go out there, have a challenge, accept it, and move on. It is completely fine. But we had a chat later on and it was like whatever we get in the future we will go on with it," Suryakumar said at the pre-match press conference on Tuesday. 

Hardik's comment on the pitch

Hardik had slammed the pitch after the second T20I, where he called the wicket a shocker. Hardik said that he doesn't mind playing on difficult wickets but added that the pitch in Lucknow was not made for T20 cricket.  

"To be honest, it was a shocker of a wicket. Both the games we have played on so far. I don't mind difficult wickets. I am all up for that, but these two wickets were not made for T20. Somewhere down the line the curators or the grounds that we are going to play in should make sure they prepare the pitches earlier. Other than that, happy. Even 120 would have been a winning total," Hardik had said after the series-leveling match on Sunday. 

Batting first, New Zealand scored 99 runs in 20 overs. In response, India chased down the target with only one ball to spare. India won the match to level the series 1-1. The third T20I will be played on Wednesday at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium. 

Image: PTI/Twitter/HardikPandya