After India's second-straight loss in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 Super 12 on Sunday, former all-rounder Irfan Pathan criticised the team's selection and the modifications made to their playing XI.
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Due to Suryakumar Yadav's back ailment, India had to replace him with Ishan Kishan, while all-rounder Shardul Thakur was brought in to replace the out-of-form Bhuvneshwar Kumar, but both struggled with bat and ball in Dubai.
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Ravindra Jadeja top-scored with 26 not out, followed by Hardik Pandya on 23, with the rest of the team failing to deliver. New Zealand, India's bogey team in international games in the past, humiliated Virat Kohli's side, who didn't even show any fight when their skipper lost a crucial toss.
India, who were defeated by Pakistan by 10-wickets in their first match, would now have to win their remaining three games by a large margin and rely on other outcomes to qualify for the semifinals from Group 2.
Daryl Mitchell scored a fluent 49 during the run chase, while skipper Kane Williamson remained unbeaten on 33 as New Zealand won with 8 wickets in hand and 33 balls to spare, bouncing back from their tournament opening loss to Pakistan.
Pathan was taken aback by the changes made for this game, and he vented his unhappiness on Twitter following the devastating loss.
"In any big tournament you can’t change the playing 11 in just one game and get desired results. Players need stability And I’m surprised this is happening with some big names taking decisions," Pathan tweeted.
