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MS Dhoni impressed with Hardik Pandya following 1st T20I win against Australia

Mahendra Singh Dhoni said Hardik Pandya can lend the side the much-needed stability if he can perform consistently.

Hardik Pandya executed the yorkers well to contain the Australian batsmen © Getty Images
Hardik Pandya executed the yorkers well to contain the Australian batsmen © Getty Images

Adelaide: Impressed with the performance of debutant Hardik Pandya in T20 International against Australia, India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said the youngster can lend the side the much-needed stability if he can perform consistently. Pandya executed the yorkers well to contain the home batsmen when they looked to attack the Indian bowlers and ended up taking two wickets for 37 runs after struggling initially. “We bowled superbly. I felt once he went through that first over he would bowl much better. He was executing the yorkers well, he was bowling the wide ball well. Overall it was good effort and I think they can give us the stability we desperately need,” Dhoni said after the match. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs Australia 2015-16, 1st T20I at Adelaide

Asked if it pleases him that there were more than one factor in the team’s 37-run win, the Indian captain nodded. “It was a good game. Good to see our bowlers making the batsmen play the big shot. Rohit started well, followed by Virat and well supported by Raina. Then Ashish did a good job. That’s very crucial because you want to win as a team. Raina batted well. He and Yuvi have had just one net session, which is why I promoted myself ahead of Yuvraj,” Dhoni said.

Home skipper Aaron Finch said his team’s fielding was poor today and it did affect them badly. “We let ourselves in the field today. And a great innings from Virat. He is hard to stop when he gets going. We executed well with the ball, but let ourselves down with the fielding. 170 would have been a nice score. When we got our chance to bat, I slowed down a bit and cost ourselves a bit of momentum,” he said.

Man-of-the-match Virat Kohli, who scored an unbeaten 90, said, “I could take this stadium with me wherever I bat. I was just trying to keep things simple. I believe that in T20 as well. This stadium is right up there with anywhere in the world. I would love to thank the fans for coming out and supporting us.”

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