T20 World Cup: Harbhajan Singh mocks Martin Guptill for playing 'Test match' in final

Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Sigh took to his official Twitter handle on the eve of the T20 World Cup finale between Australia and New Zealand and remarked on the knock played by Black Caps' opener, Martin Guptill. On being asked to bat first after losing the toss to Aussie skipper Aaron Finch, New Zealand openers Martin Guptill and Daryl Mitchell added 28 runs off 23 balls for the first wicket as Mitchell went back after scoring 11 runs off eight balls. Guptill was joined by skipper Kane Williamson in the middle as the duo added 48 runs off 45 balls for the second wicket before he was dismissed for 28 runs off 35 balls

Meanwhile, veteran Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh had a rather critical take on the innings played by Guptill as he felt, the Kiwi opener played a test match knock for New Zealand. Guptill scored 16 runs off 15 balls during his first wicket partnership with Mitchell, whereas added only 12 runs off 20 balls in his partnership with skipper Williamson. He struck four boundaries during his stay at the crease in the T20 World Cup final and returned after scoring runs at a strike rate of 80.00, despite being one of New Zealand’s top-scorers in the tournament.

What did cricket fans say about Guptill's innings?

Indian cricket fans were quick to react to Harbhajan Singh’s tweet. A fan mentioned the fact that the lack of crowd and cheerful audience makes the final a boring match. At the same time, another user mentioned the reason behind Guptill’s slow knock in the final by saying he fell to the pressure of the final. The user also added that teams are unsure of what is the right target to defend at the Dubai International Stadium.

New Zealand set a target of 173 runs for Australia

Amidst the debate around Guptill's scoring, skipper Kane Williamson went on to amass 85 runs off 48 balls in the final and lead his team from the front. Courtesy of Williamson’s knock at a strike rate of 177.08, New Zealand finished at the score of 172 runs at the board after losing four batters in the innings. Although, in order to clinch their maiden T20 World Cup title, the New Zealand bowlers now have an uphill task of defending the target under heavy due conditions.

(Image: PTI/t20worldcup.com/ICC)