IPL 2024: Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya© Twitter
Hardik Pandya’s start to Mumbai Indians captaincy was a forgettable one. Under his leadership, Mumbai Indians started the IPL 2024 campaign with a six-run loss to Gujarat Titans. Chasing a target of 169, Mumbai Indians fell short despite the game going into the last over. Captain Hardik Pandya could score only 11 off four deliveries but what was more baffling was his batting position at No. 7. The decision has been widely criticised and Pandya’s Indian cricket teammate Mohammed Shami is also sursprised.
“There is a lot of talks about left-right combination. I don’t understand such things. Last match also we talked bout how much Pat Cummins is matured. You need to stay a step ahead. You should think, ‘I am the captain, I should take this responsibility.’ As far as Hardik is concerned, you have batted at No.3 and No.4 at Gujarat Titans, what is the problem in batting at No. 4 or 5 here in MI? Hardik at No. 7 basically becomes a tailender,” Shami said on Cricbuzz.
“When you come to bat at No. 7, you are coming in with a lot of pressure. I think if Hardik would have come earlier, the match would not have gone till last over.”
“Is he following Dhoni template?” the anchor asked Shami.
“Dhoni is Dhoni. You cannot compare anyone. Everyone has a different mindset, whether it is Dhoni or Kohli. You should stay in the game depending on your skill. You batted at No. 3 and 4 in the last two seasons. You are used to that position. You can at the most bat at No. 5, but not at No. 7,” Shami replied.
Manoj Tiwary, who was part of the panel, indicated that the decision of Hardik to bat at No. 7 was not taken by the MI captain alone.
“I feel it wasn’t his call. In Gujarat, I feel, only two people were running the game, Hardik and Nehra. In Mumbai dugout there are some big names present. So probably they might have influenced him to drop down the order because they have invested a lot on young players like Tilak Verma and Brevis. Mark Boucher will obviously listen to Sachin…he will then discuss with other members of the team management and then decide,” he said.
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