Hardik Pandya said the loss against England in the T20 World Cup semi-finals on Thursday was a 'tough' loss for the Indian team.
'Devastated, gutted, hurt. Tough to take, for all of us. To my teammates, I've enjoyed the bond that we built -- we fought for each other every step of the way,' Pandya said after India suffered a 10 wicket thrashing at the Adelaide Oval.
Hardik smashed 63 from 33 balls as his late cameo rallied India to 168/6, but Jos Buttler and Alex Hales slammed unbeaten half-centuries to power England to victory in the 16th over.
'Thank you to our support staff for their endless dedication and hardwork for months on end. To our fans who backed us everywhere we went, we're forever grateful. It wasn't meant to be, but we'll reflect and keep fighting,' Hardik, who is tipped to be India's next T20 captain, said.
Hardik will lead the Indian team in the three match T20I series in New Zealand, starting on November 18.