Watch: Hardik Pandya's selfless reaction to Sanju Samson's drop catch off his bowling proves he's a true leader

Hardik, who, like the rest of the Indian fielders, expected Sanju Samson to take the catch, had a bemused look on his face. While walking back, Hardik even had a wry smile on his face. But the manner in which he controlled his emotions showed signs of a good leader.

Sanju Samson had a forgettable day in the office during the first India vs Sri Lanka T20I at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The talented right-hander, who has not been getting regular opportunities in T20Is, got into the XI on Tuesday in the absence of regulars Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul. Samson, however, failed to make use of the opportunity. Coming in at number 4, he got out playing an ugly heave off Dhananjaya de Silva in the 7th over of India's innings scoring only 5 off 6 balls. What would irk the fans more was the fact that Samson got a life barely a couple of balls earlier when he had mistimed a slog sweep in the same over. Samson's batting left Sunil Gavaskar scratching his head. He criticised the Rajasthan Royals captain for his shot selection.

Hardik Pandya reacts after Sanju Samson drops a catch in his first over

Samson's day went from bad to worse when he grasped a catch in the first over of Sri Lanka's innings. Opening the bowling, India captain Hardik Pandya swung the ball and squared up Sri Lanka opener Pathum Nissanka to get a leading edge. The ball ballooned up in the air towards Samson at mid off. He made good ground but decided to put in a big dive when all he needed was a couple of more steps to complete the catch. Samson grabbed the ball but as soon as his elbows touched the ground, it popped out of his hands.

Hardik, who, like the rest of the Indian fielders, expected the catch to be taken, had a bemused look on his face. While walking back, Hardik even had a wry smile on his face. But the manner in which he controlled his emotions showed signs of a good leader.

Watch Video: Hardik Pandya's gesture after Sanju Samon's drops a catch in 1st India vs Sri Lanka T20I

The drop catch did not cost India much as Nisanka was dismissed by debutant Shivam Mavi in the next over. Samson, too, redeemed himself by holding to a couple of more catches but he let one boundary go off Umran Malik's bowling when his knee got stuck into the ground.

India began their home season with a thrilling two-run victory. Wankhede, which is known to be a very high-scoring ground turned out to be a good deck for bowlers as both pacers and spinners got assistance. After being sent in to bat, India stuttered their way to 162 for 5 thanks to Deepak Hooda (41*) and Axar Patel's (31*) unbroken 68-run six-wicket partnership. In reply, Sri Lanka got close courtesy captain Dasun Shanka's 27-ball 45 but fell short by two runs. For India, Shivam Mavi returned with stunning figures of 4 for 22. He was well supported by Umran Malik (2/27) and Axar Patel, who also bowled a very good last over when 13 runs were needed.