Babar and Rizwan were timid: Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya believes Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan displayed a reserved approach in their batting, opting not to take risks.

Pakistan started strongly but lost their openers before skipper Babar Azam (50) and Mohammad Rizwan (49) attempted to rebuild and hit back in their stand of 82.

Despite the aforementioned partnership, Pakistan eventually collapsed and were bowled out for 191.

While speaking to Star Sports after India beat Pakistan by seven wickets on Saturday, Pandya said that the duo’s cautious style gave India a consistent sense of being in control of the game.

"Babar and Rizwan were timid. They didn’t take any chances, which is why we thought we were always in the game. There wasn’t much in the pitch for the bowlers. They didn’t try going for shots or attacked us, which is why we were able to bowl dot balls. I have seen that if two players bat in the same way, if one gets out, then it opens up a lot of doors," Pandya said.

Mohammad Amir echoed similar thoughts as Hardik Pandya.

"Babar played all his innings under pressure and when the time came for a charge he couldn't," Amir said.

"The stature of a batter like him must have taken the innings along and we can't blame the middle-order batters because they (Babar and Rizwan) had set the stage.

"Why do I highly rate Virat Kohli because he takes the game on his own and finishes. It's a sign of a big player. The game went away when we lost Babar and Rizwan," Amir added.