Being a turtle at the moment, not a rabbit – Hardik Pandya on his approach to bowling ahead of the World Cup

India had a questionable outing against West Indies in the second ODI as they slumped down to defeat for the first time in the last 10 ODIs against the islanders. Their batting department was all over the place as they could barely get the runs coming despite a fine start while the bowlers did manage to pull things off but it wasn’t enough as the hosts secured a historic win at Barbados.

India had a couple of changes going into the fixture that saw Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, two of India’s most senior batters rested while Axar Patel and Sanju Samson were brought into the side. Hardik Pandya was handed over the reins of the side and he did a fair job of leading his team into the team despite the result not going in their favour.

Pandya talked at length about India’s display against West Indies and the areas that India need to focus on ahead of the series finale at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy. Talking about the game, Pandya said, “We didn't bat in the way we were supposed to. The wicket got much better than the first innings. Disappointing, but got to learn many more things.”

Highlighting the positives for Team India, Hardik said, “The way the openers batted, the way Kishan batted, it's important for Indian cricket. Thakur kept our hopes alive. Hope batted well, they held their nerves and got over the line.”

Shifting focus to the areas that India needs to touch ahead of the World Cup, Hardik said, “I have to bowl more overs to get ready for the World Cup. Being a turtle at the moment, not a rabbit. Hoping everything goes well during the World Cup. They will be tested, we will be tested now that the series stands 1-1. The next game will be exciting for the viewers as well as the players.”