It's not about blaming but no ball is a crime: Hardik Pandya

A couple of days after their nail-biting win against Sri Lanka in the first T20I at the Wankhede Stadium, the two sides were involved in yet another riveting contest at the MCA Stadium in Pune. 

The visiting side emerged winners by 16 runs, ending their 12-match winless streak in T20Is on Indian soil, courtesy of a blistering half-century from their skipper Dasun Shanaka.

"We could've done well in the middle part. The game was set by the openers. Need to play well in the middle order to allow finishers to finish well," Shanaka said in the post-match presentation. 

On the other hand, the Indian team would be disappointed with their performance, especially with the ball, as they conceded 11 extras, including five no-balls from Arshdeep Singh in his two-over spell. 

Indian skipper Hardik Pandya minced no words and said, "The powerplay hurt us in both bowling and batting. We made basic errors which we shouldn't do at this level. You can have a bad day but shouldn't be going away from basics. In the past as well, he's bowled no-balls. It's not about blaming but no ball is a crime. 

The all-rounder also shared insights on Rahul Tripathi's debut and backing him at number three. "Surya had a fantastic run at four. Anyone who comes into the team, you want to give them a role they are comfortable in," he said on the debutant's batting position. 

With the home team tottering at 57 for the loss of five wickets, Axar Patel and Suryakumar Yadav forged a 91-run stand for the sixth wicket to give Sri Lanka a scare. 

Despite some poor bowling from Sri Lanka, they managed to get over the line. However, Shanaka seems to be very pleased with his side and credited the skill of the Indian batters. 

"It's not the dew factor, it's the skill of Indian batters. They took the game away from us, but still, we managed to hold our nerve. Really good to defend the total, especially against India in these conditions," he concluded.