Hardik Pandya praises team effort in challenging conditions

Pallekele [Sri Lanka], July 31 (ANI):India whitewashed Sri Lanka in the T20 International (T20I) series and won it by a margin of 3-0. Indian cricketer Hardik Pamdya lauded his team's performance under challenging conditions, highlighting the contributions of key players and the collective effort that led to their success.
"First of all, well done," Pandya began.
"Batting first, we were challenged by difficult conditions. Losing early wickets put us under pressure, but Shubman and Riyan's partnership was brilliant. Their situational awareness at that crucial moment gave us a platform to reach a decent total," said the all-rounder.
Pandya emphasized the importance of the lower order contributions, particularly praising Washington Sundar and Ravi Bishnoi.
"I always emphasize that the lower order has to come in and chip in. Washi's performance and those eight runs by Bishi were very, very important," he said.
He also praised the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, especially in managing the bowlers.
"As Gauti bhai mentioned, well done on making sure to rotate the bowlers and showing faith in them during the last couple of overs. That was brilliant," Pandya remarked.
Pandya highlighted the collective effort of the bowling group, noting that everyone contributed to the team's success.
"As a bowling group, it was fantastic. Everyone chipped in. Winning games like this helps us move forward. We are taking it step by step, but this was definitely a right step for the future," Pandya said.
In closing, Pandya encouraged his teammates who are playing in the One Day Internationals (ODIs), urging them to continue their strong performances.
"Well done to all the guys who are playing ODIS; kill it! Continue," he added.
Recapping the match, Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bowl against India.
It was a team performance from the Men in Blue in the first innings, all the batters contributed while setting a target. Shubman Gill (39 runs from 37 balls, 3 fours) was the highest run-getter among his teammates. Riyan Parag (26 runs from 18 balls, 1 four and 2 sixes) and Washington Sundar (25 runs from 18 balls, 2 fours and 1 six) played a crucial role in the death overs and powered India to 137/9 after the end of the 20 overs.
Maheesh Theekshana led the Sri Lanka bowling attack and he bagged three wickets for 28 runs in his four-over spell. Wanindu Hasaranga also picked up two wickets and gave away 29 runs.
During the run chase, Kusal Perera (46 runs from 34 balls, 5 fours) and Kusal Mendis (43 runs from 41 balls, 3 fours) were the top performers for the hosts in the final T20I game of the series and propelled Sri Lanka to 137/8 to take the match into the super over. Opener Pathum Nissanka (26 runs from 27 balls, 5 fours) also played a supportive role while batting.
The talking point of the match is Rinku Singh and skipper Suryakumar Yadav taking two wickets each in their respective spells. The India skipper defended six runs in the final over and forced the match into the super over. Ravi Bishnoi and Washington Sundar also took two wickets in their respective spells.
In the super over, the hosts could only score 2/2 after batting first. While chasing, Suryakumar Yadav ended the match with the first ball after he smashed a sweep towards the short fine leg for a four.
Washington Sundar was named the Player of the Match. (ANI)