Team India openers Ishan Kishan and Rishabh Pant failed to make yet another opportunity count as both were dismissed playing rash shots inside the powerplay in the third T20I against New Zealand at McLean Park on Tuesday.
Ishan Kishan tried to hit a back-of-the-length delivery outside the off-stump from Adam Milne to the leg-side and that ended up being a wild slog straight into the hands of the fielder at deep mid-wicket.
Rishabh Pant began his innings rather well, playing a couple of exquisite cover drives. But just when one thought that he was backing his orthodox shots, Pant tried a wild hack that ended up being a top edge that was caught well at third man.
Fans on Twitter slammed both the openers for not making the most of the trust shown in them. Some also felt it was a bit harsh on Sanju Samson not to get a game ahead of these players. Here are some of the reactions:
Team India on par with the DLS score at the moment
The Kiwis rocked Team India early in their chase, reducing them to 21/3. Ishan Kishan and Rishabh Pant will be gutted to not make the most of their opportunity. Shreyas Iyer was once again dismissed by a short ball, an issue that seems to be getting even bigger with every passing game.
Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav got together and tried to counter-attack. Hardik, in particular, was quite successful in doing so as he smashed some incredible boundaries and got India's chase back on track.
SKY soon followed the other batters back to the pavilion as he ended up chipping a delivery from Ish Sodhi straight into the hands of deep mid-wicket. Although the Men in Blue lost four wickets, they have 75 runs on the board after nine overs, which is exactly the DLS par score after nine overs.
If any further play is not possible, then the game will end as a tie and Hardik and co will take the series 1-0.
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