India vs New Zealand: Lucknow wicket for second T20I was a shocker, says Hardik Pandya

Lucknow, 30 Jan: India's T20 captain Hardik Pandya criticised the standard of pitches during India vs New Zealand series while terming the Lucknow pitch for the second T20I a shocker. The match saw New Zealand manage just 99/8 in 20 overs while India had their trouble as well with them reaching the target with just a ball to spare.

"To be honest, it was a shocker of a wicket. Both the games we have played on so far. I don't mind difficult wickets. I am all up for that, but these two wickets were not made for T20.

"Somewhere down the line the curators or the grounds that we are going to play in should make sure they prepare the pitches earlier. Other than that, happy. Even 120 would have been a winning total," said Hardik after the series-levelling win over New Zealand.

The series decider will be played in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, February 1, "I always believed that we'll be able to finish the game, but it went quite late. All these games are important with the moments. You don't need to panic because it was about rotating the strike rather than taking the pressure. That's exactly what we did. We followed our basics," he said about the tense finish.

On the bowlers' impressive performance, he added: "They stuck to their plans and ensured they (New Zealand) did not rotate the strike. We kept rotating the spinners. Dew didn't play much part in this. They were able to spin the ball more than us. It was carrying through well."

India vs New Zealand: 120 could have been winning total, says Mitchell Santner

New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santer said 120 could have been a winning total on the surface.

India Vs New Zealand 3rd T20I: Ahmedabad Narendra Modi Stadium Pitch Report, Weather Forecast & Record

"It was a great game of cricket. To get it so close was a great effort from the bowlers. If we would have got an extra 10 or 15, could have been the difference. The calmness of Surya and Hardik to get them over the line was pretty good.

"We bowled 16 or 17 overs of spin, definitely something different. With the bounce out there, it looked challenging. You are not sure what a good total is. 120 might have been a good score," said Santner.

With inputs from PTI