Kirsten expressed disappointment over Pakistan's batting collapse against India in New York.
In the all-important clash, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam won the toss and opted to bowl first. Riding on fast bowlers’ brilliance, the Men in Green bundled out India for a paltry 119 in 19 overs on a tricky two-paced pitch.
However, Pakistan failed to chase down the target despite needing 48 runs from as many balls at one stage. The Indian pace battery, led by Jasprit Bumrah (3-14) and Hardik Pandya (2-24), staged a remarkable comeback and restricted the arch-rivals to 113/7 in 20 overs.
After the game, Pakistan head coach Gary Kirsten expressed disappointment over his team's batting collapse, highlighting that it was important to rotate strike on challenging surfaces like the one at the Nassau County International Stadium.
"I think certainly on a pitch like that, it is really, really important to be able to rotate the strike. Sometimes it's fun to watch a game like this where it's not only about hitting boundaries," Kirsten said in the post-match press conference.
"We did well for 15 overs and then we lost the plot. We're losing too many wickets. Players have got to take responsibility when that opportunity comes," he added.
The coach acknowledged the immense pressure the players are under after losing back-to-back games against the USA and India.
"These guys are all international players and they're aware that when they're not performing at their best, there's going to be pressure put on them. That's understandable," Kirsten stated.
Talking about the team's strategy during the chase, Kirsten revealed it was to capitalize on loose deliveries and rotate the strike effectively. However, he rued the loss of momentum during the crucial phase of the innings.
"We kept it at a run a ball for 15 overs, and then we lost wickets, stopped scoring ones, and started looking for boundaries. Once you've got to that point, it was always going to be hard," he explained.
Pakistan pace quartet, featuring Naseem Shah (3/21 in 4 overs), Haris Rauf (3/21 in 3 overs), Mohammad Amir (2/23 in 4 overs) and Shaheen Afridi (1/29 in 4 overs), shared nine wickets among them while one Indian batter got run-out.
Gary Kirsten praised the team's bowling performance, particularly in the death overs. "Our record between overs 10 to 20 as a bowling unit is up there with the best. We've got four fantastic seamers and Imad Wasim bowled really well today," he said.
Kirsten refused to criticise the drop-in pitches at the Nassau stadium, which have drawn flak for uneven bounce.
"I think it wasn't dangerous. The odd one rose up, but not many. Generally, it kept a little bit lower. It was difficult to score from both batting sides and also a fairly slow outfield," he noted, before adding that a score of 140 would have been competitive on such a pitch.
Pakistan's next match is scheduled against Canada at the same venue on June 11, a must-win encounter to keep their Super 8 hopes alive. "We need to win big against Canada and Ireland and hope for favorable results in other matches," Kirsten concluded.
(With PTI Inputs)