Hardik Pandya sheds light on India’s new T20I approach: Players making conscious effort to express themselves – India Today

India all-rounder Hardik Pandya said on Friday, July 8 that the senior national team has been making a conscious effort to be more proactive and express themselves more when batting in T20I cricket. Hardik said it's good to see batters going out there and looking to take the attack to the opposition bowlers from the word go.

Hardik Pandya said he was delighted to see the renewed approach in the first T20I against England in Southampton where India scored 198 before bowling the opposition out for 148 and taking a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series. The Baroda all-rounder led the show from the front, hitting a six and 6 boundaries for his 33-ball 51.

Hardik Pandya got going from the time he walked into the middle even as India lost wickets in frequent intervals. Hardik, who walked in at No. 5, did not go for a lot of aerial shots but found gaps with precision after a solid platform laid by captain Rohit Sharma who hit 24 in just 14 balls and cameos from Deepak Hooda (17-ball 33) and Suryakumar Yadav (19-ball 39).

India posted 66 in the powerplay and never let the momentum dip as the likes of Hooda, Suryakumar and Hardik belted the England bowlers across all parts of the park.

"It's a conscious effort by everyone that we will be making sure we will be expressing ourselves, go out there and enjoy. it's a good sign for Indian cricket because whenever a wicket fell, not just me, whoever went out to bat, they have gone from the second ball if it's there. I think in T20 cricket, this will help the team a lot," Hardik told Ishan Kishan in a chat for BCCI.

"There will be days when we lose 5 wickets for nothing with this approach but, more often than not, it will get us those extra 10-15 runs that we have been speaking in the dressing room," he added.

Hardik said he has bettered his art of playing risk-free cricket after having batted higher up the order for Gujarat Titans in his maiden stint as captain in the Indian Premier League. The Baroda all-rounder, who is known for his big six-hitting ability, said he is enjoying hitting boundaries more.

"When I went out to bat, I wanted to play risk-free cricket. I knew that wickets had fallen. If they hadn't fallen, I would have gone for more sixes and more shots. I knew that the pitch was good and having batted higher up the order in the IPL, I am getting a feel of the gaps better, understand which shots will hit the gaps," Hardik said.

"I am getting a bit more joy hitting fours as I have been hitting sixes all through my life. This is personally making me feel a bit happier," he added.

Notably, India have been trying to be more proactive, especially in the middle-overs after the early exit at T20 World Cup 2021 wherein they struggled with the scoring rate against Pakistan and New Zealand.

Captain Rohit Sharma also shed light on India's changing approach, saying it's important that every batter buys into it.

"You got to make use of those six overs in the powerplay. There is a certain approach we want to take in the powerplay. You got to back yourself in this game, sometimes it comes off, sometimes it doesn't. The whole batting unit needs to understand the direction the team is taking and the guys were spot on today," Rohit said after the win in Southampton.

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Also Read: India finding aggressive approach they lacked in T20 World Cup: Eoin Morgan

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Hardik Pandya sheds light on India's new T20I approach: Players making conscious effort to express themselves - India Today