Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal hailed Team India for their stunning 2-1 T20I series win over Sri Lanka at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on Saturday, January 7.
Akmal claimed that the Men in Blue will gain a lot of confidence from the series win. He stated that Sri Lanka have been impressive in T20Is in the recent past, pointing to their winning campaign in last year’s Asian Cup.
A 40-year-old man also drew attention to this Hardik Pandya and what. they were able to trump the Sri Lankan side despite playing a new look team. Akmal made these remarks while speaking on his YouTube channel.
“Winning this series was very important for Team India,” he said. “Sri Lanka had a complete squad as these same players were there when they won the Asia Cup and also the T20 World Cup. The Sri Lankan side has won against many top teams including India in the recent past.”
“They were able to win against strong opposition despite going in with a new captain and a lot of youngsters. They played fearless cricket and were spot on with their plans.”
Remarkably, the three-match series between the two Asian nations turned out to be a highly contested affair. Game 3 promised to be thrilling with the series tied at 1-1.
However, the Hardik Pandya-led side dominated the series decider and secured a comprehensive 91-run victory to seal the series. Suryakumar Yadav played with the bat and remained unbeaten on 112 to take his team to a total of 228.
Sri Lanka failed to put up a strong fightback during the run and scored 137.
“As long as they were under pressure, they handled it well” – Kamran Akmal on Team India’s batting
Kamran Akmal also shed light on the underwhelming performances of the Indian batsmen in the first two matches of the T20I series. However, he praised them for making amends in the all-important third game.
He stated that the batsmen did an exceptional job under pressure in the deciding shootout. Akmal mentioned that building partnerships at key points helped the hosts secure victory in a must-win affair.
“We saw how the Indian batsmen failed to score in the first two matches,” he added. “However, they managed to turn things around in the crucial third T20I. While under pressure, they handled it well and put together important partnerships.”
After completing the T20I rubber, the two Asian nations will now face each other in a three-match ODI series. The series opener is played in Guwahati on Tuesday, January 10.
