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India vs Australia 2nd T20I: We have not lost any momentum after Visakhapatnam defeat, says Krunal Pandya

Krunal Pandya said that India have taken a lot of heart from the fact that they almost defended a target of 127 in Visakhapatnam.

Krunal said that the Bangalore wicket might offer a more high-scoring match than what was the case in Vizag. (AP Photo)

Krunal Pandya said that the Indian team has taken a lot of heart from their performance in the 1st T20I against Australia in Visakhapatnam. India could only post a target of 126 but they almost defended before some last over heroics from Pat Cummins and Jhye Richardson. “It was a great bowling effort. Everyone chipped in and we almost defended the low total. We just have to be more cautious about our batting,” said Krunal ahead of the second T20I in Bangalore on Wednesday.

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Australia were cruising 89/2 in the 14th over of the game with Glenn Maxwell and D’Arcy Short sharing an 84-run partnership. But Maxwell’s dismissal by Chahal led to a collapse that brought the equation down to 14 needed off the last over. Cummins and Richardson had both not faced a single ball before that but they somehow pulled it off.

Krunal said that the Bangalore wicket might offer a more high-scoring match than what was the case in Vizag. “The wicket looks good here. It will be better than Vizag for sure. So we expect more runs,” he said.

The 27-year-old said that India have not lost any momentum because of the defeat. “Tomorrow is a very important game as we are 0-1 down but I would not say that we have lost momentum. We lost the other night but we are not losing consecutive games. I am sure we will do well tomorrow,” he said.

“History says they (Australia) are a competitive side and we know that they will give 100 percent every time they step on the field. We are mindful of that,” said the all-rounder.

Krunal could not score many runs but was effective with the ball in Visakhapatnam, recording figures of 1/17 in the four overs that he bowled. “Honestly, I am not thinking about where I want to bat. I am just focused on what is in my hands irrespective of the situation. I want to contribute with both bat and ball.”

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