India vs New Zealand | VVS Laxman credits Krunal Pandya and Rohit Sharma for Indian comeback

VVS Laxman was all praise for Krunal Pandya on his ability and progress after Pandya picked up 3 wickets for 28 runs in a crucial encounter for India against the Black Caps in the second T20I. The left-arm spinner took the key wickets of Colin Munro, Daryl Mitchell, and Kane Williamson in quick succession to restrict the hosts to 158-8. 

"Krunal Pandya struck the decisive blows, showcasing his smartness. He is not the conventional left-arm spinner who will deceive batsmen in the air, but he creates artificial angles with his use of the crease, and hustles batsmen with changes of pace. His dismissals of Colin Munro and Kane Williamson were indicative of someone who puts a lot of thought into his bowling," Laxman said in his column for the ToI.

The veteran batsman had felt that Pandya had stuck to his plans, bowling wider to Munro and using his ability to outfox Williamson with a skidder. He had also mentioned the left hander’s potential to play as an allrounder as well as a powerful striker in the team.

“In my eyes, Krunal is an allrounder who can bat anywhere from No. 5 downwards. He is a powerful striker of the ball and has won matches off his bat in the IPL, and his progress as a bowler is a healthy development going forward," Laxman added.

India had ticked all departments, winning the second T20 comfortably by 7 wickets. The former Indian player commended the bowlers for adapting an attacking strategy and picking up wickets at regular intervals to restrict the flow of runs, which in turn helped the batsman chase down the target with ease in the later part of the innings.

"For the second time on this tour of New Zealand, India showed great character in bouncing back from a crushing defeat. The commanding victory in the second T20I was set up by the bowlers, and finished off in style by the formidable batting unit. It was great to see the bowlers adopting a more aggressive mindset in Auckland compared to the first match," he added.

India lost the first T20I but came back strong to win the second match with a successful run chase in Auckland. Rohit Sharma had become the highest run-getter in T20s during his innings surpassing Martin Guptill. India had chosen not to make any changes to the squad for their second T20 despite a humiliating loss in the first. 

"Rohit led the modest run chase with a typically eye-catching innings. The hallmark of his batting is the ease with which he puts even the good balls away, and it is no surprise that he is the leading run-scorer in Twenty20 Internationals. I had anticipated a couple of changes after the first T20I, but it was heartening to see the team management repose faith in the relative newcomers.” Laxman concluded. 

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