NZ v IND 2022: “Don’t think we need to prove anything to anyone”- Hardik reacts to Vaughan’s ‘underperforming’ remark

India to play three T20Is and three ODIs in New Zealand starting Nov 18.

India’s stand-in T20I captain Hardik Pandya reacted to the recent comments made by former England captain Michael Vaughan, who in his recent column in The Daily Telegraph had written that India is the ‘most underperforming’ side in white-ball cricket.

Vaughan’s remarks came after India was soundly defeated in the semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2022 against England, who went on to win the tournament and became two-time T20 world champions.

"India are the most underperforming white-ball team in history. I am just staggered by how they play T20 cricket for the talent they have. They have the players, but just do not have the right process in place. They have to go for it. Why do they give the opposition bowlers the first five overs to bed in?" Vaughan wrote in his column for The Daily Telegraph.

Reacting to the same, Hardik said that the Indian team does not have anything to prove to anyone, but there definitely is room for improvement. Pandya is captaining the Indian T20I team on their white-ball tour to New Zealand as senior players have been rested after the ICC event.

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"Obviously when you don't do well, people will have their opinion, which we respect. I understand people have different points of view. Being at the international level, I don't think we need to prove anything to anyone. It's a sport, you keep trying to get better, and eventually when the result is supposed to happen it will happen. There are things we need to work on, going forward we will rectify and work on it," Hardik said on Wednesday ahead of the bilateral series against New Zealand.

"There is a disappointment of the T20 World Cup, but we are professionals. We need to cope with it the way we cope with our success and move forward, look to get better and rectify the mistakes we made," he added.

The next T20 World Cup will be played in 2024 in the West Indies and the United States and the Indian squad is expected to undergo a major transition in the next two years keeping that in mind.

”Yes, the next T20 WC is almost two years so we have time (to unearth new talent). A lot of cricket will be played and a lot of people will get enough chances. The road map starts now. But it’s too fresh right now. We have a lot of time so we will sit down and have conversations on those grounds,” Pandya said.

”Right now it’s making sure that the boys enjoy playing here. We will talk about the future later,” he added.

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In absence of many first-choice players, youngsters like Shubman Gill, Umran Malik, Ishan Kishan, and Sanju Samson have been given a chance and Pandya says it will be an important series for them in the grand scheme of things.

”The main boys are not here but at the same time the talent which the guys who are already here, they have also been playing for one-and-a-half, two years now. They have had ample chances and enough time in international cricket to express themselves and show what they have. Very excited for them, a new bunch of guys, new energy, and excitement.

Every series is important. You can’t play an international game thinking it's not important. Yes, World Cup is there but that’s a different format, it’s 50 overs. But it is an important series for a lot of boys who if they eventually do well here will be able to put a strong case going forward,” Pandya said.

The three T20Is will be played on Nov 18,20 and 22 in Wellington, Mount Maunganui, and Napier respectively.

(PTI inputs)