India thrashed New Zealand in the third Twenty20 International to take the series 3-0. Sanjay Bangar, the former batting coach of Team India, has praised the team's performance. The Blues outclassed the Black Caps in all three areas to take control of the game at home.
India's spin combo of Ashwin and Axar Patel wowed Bangar. They were crucial, he claimed, in shifting the momentum to the side in the middle overs. He also praised India's opening pair's steadiness, citing it as one of the important factors in the team's victory.
“They have been very professional, they have been put under the pump a bit by the New Zealand openers but the way Indian spinners have responded in the middle overs has been fantastic.
“So, Ashwin and Axar Patel both bowling well in tandem have really worked well for the Indian team in the middle overs and when they were chasing, I felt that the form that both the openers are turning out on a consistent basis has been really clinical for the Indian team performances in the series so far,” Sanjay Bangar said on Star Sports show Follow the Blues.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar's comeback to form was also discussed by the former cricketer. He spoke about his brilliant delivery to eliminate Daryl Mitchell in the first T20I and hailed the pacer for his ability to produce early breakthroughs for the squad.
“Can’t take anything away from somebody like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who’s got his swing back because whenever he’s played and he’s bowled with that new ball, he’s got his swing back. The wicket that he took in the first match of Daryl Mitchell was a dream and it augurs really well for the Indian team because he’s somebody who can give you those initial breakthroughs in the first six overs inside the powerplay and that sets any opposition on the back foot,” Bangar added.
Bangar also mentioned newcomer Harshal Patel, who showed off his dominance in the T20I series. He praised the speedster's efforts, saying that his variations bothered the batters.
“Add to that, how Harshal Patel took his chance in his debut match was really impressive because he’s someone who’s been known to rely a lot on his slow ball variations and in a match wherein there was a lot of dew. Despite that, he overcame that challenge and bowled really well with a wet ball and still used his variations, with cutters and slow bouncers. I felt that was a big plus for the Indian team as well,” Bangar said.
