“It seemed like the USA would cause an upset” - Harbhajan Singh lauds Suryakumar Yadav for helping India escape jail against the USA

Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has opened up on India’s explosive batting approach against the USA, which couldn’t work on the expected lines as they suffered a major collapse at 77/6 in 12.4 overs.

Advertisment

However, captain Suryakumar Yadav’s 84-run unbeaten knock helped India come out on the concerning situation as they posted a good-looking total of 161/9 on a tough Wankhede wicket in Mumbai.

Speaking exclusively on his YouTube channel, the former spinner asserted that though India backed their explosive batting approach, the middle-order batters should’ve batted according to the situation. 

"Team India have been backing their explosive approach, and they were following that only here, saying that they will keep hitting. But sometimes you have to play the situation. Nevertheless, India will learn a lot from this," Harbhajan Singh said on his YouTube channel.

"When we were four wickets down, I feel that Rinku could have played much better. Even Hardik Pandya could have made a partnership there. But the scores India have put up in the last series like 270, seems like they are still in that mode. But the pressure of a World Cup is something else," he added.

"This match was really important, because the way this match began, it seemed like USA will cause an upset. But credit to Suryakumar Yadav for his knock, because of which India had something to defend. But USA gave a solid fight. He had scored only 30 or 32 runs off his first 30 deliveries, then he scored fifty runs off his last 19 deliveries. This shows the skill that he has, and the belief he has in himself," he concluded.

India will next lock horns with Namibia in the group stage on Thursday, February 12 in Delhi.

Advertisment

Stay updated with the latest cricket news, match insights, and exclusive updates at Sky247 India and download the Sky247 app to start betting today!