Harare, July 23 -- Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza criticised the pitch after his side suffered a seven-wicket defeat to India in the first T20I of the three-match series at the Harare Sports Club on Thursday, saying the conditions made batting difficult, particularly with the new ball.

Speaking during the post-match presentation, Raza said moisture on the surface remained for longer than expected and the movement off the deck made it challenging for the batters.

"Again, not up to the standard I think. In the morning, I think that moisture certainly played a part, but I didn't think it was going to play a part for that long. I thought it remained tough with the new ball," Raza said.

"Unfortunately, we didn't hit many boundaries up front...