‘Gill ne last series me kya ukhada tha?’ – Fans lambast Hardik Pandya as he reveals Prithvi Shaw won’t open in first T20I against NZ

Indian Cricket team is all set to lock horns with New Zealand in the first T20I of the three-match series on Friday at JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi. After whitewashing the kiwis 3-0 in the ODI series, the ‘Men-in-Blue’ will be looking to repeat the same result in the T20Is as well. Ahead of the first match, captain Hardik Pandya has confirmed that Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill will open in the first T20I.

With the inclusion of Prithvi Shaw in the squad for the series, fans were expecting him to open in the series. However, given the current form of Gill, Shaw will have to wait for some time for his chance.

“Nahi sir. Shubman ne bohot achha kiya hai so usko pehle mauka milega. Actually, mauke ki baat hi nahi hai. (No sir. Shubman has done really well so he will get the opportunity first. In fact, with him it doesn’t even come down to opportunities) Shubman will start because the way he is batting, he will obviously be in the team,” Hardik said on the eve of the series opener.

When asked whether he prefers a left-right or right-right combination for an opening pair, the allrounder replied, “Doesn’t matter. We prefer whatever is available to us. Best player will get the game whether left-handed or right-handed.”

Shaw was finally recalled back into the squad after July 2021 after he scored 363 runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2022. He was also seen in imperious form in the Ranji Trophy, where he recently scored a mammoth 379 off 383 balls against Assam.

We will have to play our best to beat them: Hardik Pandya

While talking further about the opposition, Hardik stated that New Zealand is a strong T20I team and cannot be taken lightly.

“New Zealand is a strong T20I team. They are a fine one-day unit as well even though the recent series outcome does not reflect that. They always challenge you as a team, which was the case in the 1st ODI in Hyderabad. If they could have pulled out that chase, they would have entered the second game full of confidence. But at the same point of time, we will try our best and know that we will have to play our best to beat them. They will be get rolled over. It’s a fresh start,” added Hardik.

Meanwhile, Twitter was abuzz with reactions on Hardik Pandya choosing Gill and Kishan to open instead of Prithvi Shaw. Here are some of the Tweets: