With the T20I series sealed, India decided to rest four players, including captain Rohit Sharma, for the fifth T20I against West Indies in Lauderhill, Florida on Sunday. With Rohit out, Hardik Pandya is leading India in their last match of this tour. Pandya looked happy and relaxed as he walked out for the toss and had no hesitation in opting to bat after winning it.

This is the third game in which Hardik is captaining India – he led in the two T20Is in Ireland last month. And given how much he captained Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2022, one would assume he would be well equipped to handling questions about team changes. However, that wasn’t the case tonight when the announcer asked Hardik to reveal the composition of the team. When former West Indies spinner Samuel Badree asked Hardik “Now, I have got a challenge for you. Can you name all the changes in your team, the India skipper stuttered a little before getting the names right.

Also Read: India vs West Indies 5th T20I Live

“Well. Ro {Rohit} goes out. He is resting. Well, they all are. Then Rishabh is out. Then… umm. Wait, I know it. I can do this. Yes. Bhuvi {Bhuvneshwar Kumar} and Surya {Suryakumar Yadav] are not playing,” Hardik said at the toss.

The reception from the fans towards the Indian team in Florida has been overwhelming. After the completion of the fourth T20I, India captain Rohit Sharma was seen engaging with fans that had turned out in numbers. Weighing on what it is like playing cricket in the USA, the India stand-in captain came with another gem of an answer.

“We don’t feel we are playing in Miami but in some Indian city like Mumbai or Gujarat or something. Fantastic to come abroad and get this support,” Hardik said. “We spoke to the boys that no matter what happens, we have set some standards for the Indian cricket team so the intensity and the attitude stays the same,” he added when asked about the team goal.