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Rohit defends keeper Pant as DRS calls cost India

Cape Town - India stand-in captain Rohit Sharma insists it is too soon to judge wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant's DRS decisions following the loss to Bangladesh in the first T20I in New Delhi on Sunday.

It was the first time Bangladesh had beaten India in the shortest format of the game and in hindsight the poor DRS calls proved costly.

In the tenth over from leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, Mushfiqur was trapped in front as he looked to play one to the leg side, but as close as it seemed, India opted not to review. Replays suggested they should have.

In the same over, Pant was convinced he had Soumyar Sarkar caught behind. The umpire, and bowler Chahal, weren't convinced, but Pant insisted Rohit reviewed the decision - which was wasted.

Mushfiqur went on to top score with a unbeaten 43-ball 60, including four consecutive fours off the penultimate over from Khaleel Ahmed.

In the previous over, he had another massive slice of luck going his way, when Krunal Pandya dropped him in the deep off Chahal's final over.

Mahmudullah finished the chase with a six, and Bangladesh won with three balls to spare.

When asked about the DRS calls of the young wicketkeeper Rohit said: "Of course, Rishabh is young and he will need time to understand.

"It's too soon to judge whether he can make those decisions. Plus, the bowlers as well.

"It's a combination when the captain is not in the right position to make that decision.

"When you are not in the right position (as a fielder), you have to trust your bowler and the wicketkeeper. Based on that, you have to make that decision, whichever format you play."

India set Bangladesh just 148 to win but Rohit claimed they could have defended the total if they had been "smart in the field".

He highlighted the relative inexperience of the India team, and stressed they had done reasonably well.

"These are the guys who did not play for a while in this format," he said.

"These are bowlers we have identified, that they are the ones who can do well in this format. They have done reasonably well.

"They still need to understand when defending smaller targets, they need to bowl according to the plan. They will learn by playing these games," he said.

"They have the talent and ability to bounce back but only time will tell if they can do that or not."

The second T20I of the three-match series will be played in Rajkot on Thursday.

- TeamTalk Media

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