"Team India are better off doing what they just did today" - Dinesh Karthik wants Hardik Pandya and Co. to play fearless cricket

Wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik believes Team India should continue playing an aggressive brand of cricket despite their recent loss to Sri Lanka.

The Men in Blue lost half their side before the halfway stage of their run-chase against the Islanders at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Thursday, January 5. This eventually played its part in the team falling to a 16-run defeat.

However, going forward, Dinesh Karthik wants Hardik Pandya and Co. to bat exactly like they did on Thursday.

The Tamil Nadu gloveman believes the Men in Blue have been playing conservatively in the shortest format for quite some time now. This has seen them tend to keep wickets in hand early on and then try to explode towards the end.

However, he feels that hasn't brought their team much success as they are yet to win a T20 World Cup since the inaugural edition in 2007.

Speaking to Cricbuzz after the game, Dinesh Karthik explained why India need to stay committed to an attacking approach, despite the loss in Pune. He said:

"I feel Team India are better off doing what they just did today, going all guns blazing at the start, losing some wickets, and then losing the game at the end, rather than playing steady without losing wickets.

"[It is] a template that we have been playing for some time now, and stack up lot through the middle and the end and then expect that to happen. We have had that and I feel we didn't have the success we need."

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India have a lot of venom in their batting: Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik believes the best way to get the most out of each batter in the Indian team is to ask them to express themselves without a fear of losing their wicket. He feels this will help the team change their mindset and be fearless even in knockout games.

On this, he stated:

"I still feel if we get through this mindset of going hammer and tongs at the start, and then solidifying through the middle and then finishing strong is the best way to get the best out of our batting."

Karthik added:

"I feel we have a lot of venom in our batting, but for that to come through totally, the mindset needs to shift. We rather go down trying that way, than keep it to the end and then we succumb under pressure in crunch games."

It will be interesting to see if India maintain their attacking approach in the third and final T20I against Sri Lanka on Saturday, January 7, with the series tied at 1-1.

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India's squad vs Sri Lanka: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Ishan Kishan (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (vc), Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Umran Malik, Shivam Mavi, Mukesh Kumar.