Rajkot: Yuzvendra Chahal said that the Indian team is confident that they can bounce back after a defeat in their first T20I against Bangladesh.
In what was the first of the three T20I matches to be played between the two sides, India ended up losing by seven wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
Chahal said that there was no pressure from the management after the defeat, in which India made quite a few errors on the field.
“There is no pressure. You know there are three matches and it’s a bilateral series, not a knockout format,” said Chahal in a press conference in Rajkot, where the second T20I of the series is set to take place.
“That day they played well compared to us. We know we are a better team but in the last few matches Bangladesh have always given us a proper fight. Mushfiqur (Rahim) especially played very well. We are one down with two matches and we believe in ourselves so there is no pressure, we feel we will bounce back,” he said.
In the absence of the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami and Kuldeep Yadav, Chahal is the most experienced bowler in the Indian attack. He however said that there is no added pressure because of this as all bowlers have significant experience in the IPL.
“Our bowlers have all played a lot of IPL matches so they have a lot of experience. I have played just a few more T20Is than them. I only bowl four overs and the rest of the 16 is up to them so if the whole team bowls well as a unit then we will win. It is not about one person,” said Chahal.
“Every player in the XI knows their role. We are all getting chances and the players are gaining confidence also from them. One or two bad matches always happen but there is no pressure because of that from any side.”
Meanwhile, former India great Sunil Gavaskar feels opener Shikhar Dhawan must find his form as soon as possible as he is known as one of the finest players of the white ball. In the first T20I of the three-match rubber against Bangladesh in New Delhi, Dhawan scored 41 but took 42 deliveries for it.
Dhawan also struggled to find form during the just-concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he could manage just one fifty in seven outings.
Gavaskar said that people will start to talk if he fails to rediscover his form in the last two games against the Bangla Tigers.
“Questions will be raised on Shikhar Dhawan if he doesn’t bat well in the next two matches. The team is not going to benefit if you’re scoring 40-45 runs from the same number of balls. He will have to think about this. When players come back after a gap, it does take a lot of time to get back the rhythm,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying.
Catch the match
India vs Bangladesh
Twenty20 International, Rajkot
Match starts at 5.30pm UAE
