After a disappointing outing on Sunday against New Zealand which saw Team India concede an 8-wicket defeat, former England captain Kevin Pietersen appealed to the fans to support Virat Kohli and co. Team India was heavily criticised on social media platforms following a second-successive in the 2021 T20 World Cup campaign.
Kohli is also facing flak for his leadership in the edition so far.
"There is a winner and a loser in the game. No player goes out to lose. It is the greatest honour to represent your country. Please realize that the people in the game are not robots and they need support at all times," tweeted Pietersen in Hindi.
Earlier, Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh asked the fans not to be too harsh on the players as they are the ones hurting the most after a loss.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh asked the fans not to be too harsh on the players as they are the ones hurting the most after a loss.
{{/usCountry}}"Let's not be harsh on our players. Yes, we know them for better cricket. Sabse jyada players ko hurt hota hai after such results. but well done to @BLACKCAPS NZ for winning the match. they were fantastic in all departments," tweeted Harbhajan.
India were restricted to 110/7 in 20 overs after Kane Williamson opted to bowl first after winning the toss. Trent Boult and Ish Sodhi starred with the ball before Daryl Mitchell (49*) played a key role in the run-chase.
India will next face Afghanistan on Wednesday at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. The team is currently at the fifth position in Group 2 with a Net Run Rate (NRR) of -1.609. While Pakistan, with three wins in as many games, are at the top, Afghanistan and New Zealand follow the side at second and third positions respectively. Namibia, with one win in two matches, are fourth.
While India face a must-win situation in all of their remaining three matches, Kohli and co. will also have to hope for New Zealand to lose another game, while ensuring a higher net run-rate over the BlackCaps.
(With inputs from agency)