MI all-rounder Tim David has hailed ‘phenomenal’ captain Hardik Pandya, saying that he has been holding their batting like a glue. David said that Hardik Pandya gives them the freedom to attack in the death overs.
It was not a happy homecoming for Hardik Pandya as the Mumbai Indians captain was booed by the Ahmedabad crowd at the toss. A large section of fans at the Narendra Modi Stadium were seemingly not happy with the Hardik’s trade from Mumbai to Gujarat. Notably, Hardik Pandya , who was first given the role of captain in the IPL by Gujarat Titans, led the team to title in 2022 and the final in 2023 before he made a shock trade move back to MI before last year’s auction.
Fans and Media lashes out at Hardik Pandya’s treatment to former MI and India skipper Rohit Sharma in the opener for MI
Captain Hardik Pandya took complete control of the proceedings in his first match as skipper of the Mumbai Indians even as the 5-time champions lost to Gujarat Titans in their IPL 2024 opener in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 24. In a viral video, Hardik Pandya was seen commanding Rohit Sharma on the field as the former captain was moved around on the field during Gujarat Titans’ innings at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Rohit Sharma, who has been used to fielding inside the ring, was a little surprised when he was asked to field in the deep by newly-appointed captain Hardik Pandya. The Baroda all-rounder looked animated as he wanted to get his field placements right in the final over of the Gujarat Titans innings.
Hardik Pandya asked Rohit to go to near the boundary rope after the former captain was fielding inside the 30-yard circle. After Rohit took a position along the boundary, Hardik Pandya wanted his former captain to move to his right further as he made sure bowler Gerald Coetzee had the right man at the right areas.
A section of fans did not like what they saw as Rohit Sharma had to do the running in the final over of the Mumbai Indians’ contest. While it’s normal for a captain to use his best fielders at the right spots, emotional Rohit Sharma fans took to social media to lash out at Hardik Pandya.
In fact, Rohit Sharma took a catch in the deep in a rare sight as the former Mumbai Indians captain played the team man’s role to perfection. In the 8th over of the match, Rohit took Shubman Gill’s catch at long-on after Piyush Chawla tempted the Gujarat Titans to mistime a big shot.
However Hardik Pandya’s form in IPL is somewhat medium when it comes to batting and it is evident from his batting from IPL 2024.
Hardik Pandya’s performance in IPL 2024.
Despite Hardik Pandya’s strike rate of 138.46, accumulating 108 runs in four matches while batting at various positions, there have been observations regarding his inability to accelerate during crucial phases of the game. In the initial match against his former team, the Gujarat Titans, Pandya managed only an 11-run innings off four balls during a challenging chase. Similarly, in the subsequent match against Hyderabad, batting at No 5, Pandya could only muster 24 off 20 balls while chasing a daunting target of 278.
Although Pandya played a vital role on a difficult pitch against Rajasthan, scoring a top-notch 34 off 21 balls in a low-scoring encounter, his 39 off 33 balls (including three fours and one six) in the last match stood in contrast to the aggressive approach adopted by other MI batters, who contributed significantly to the team’s highest total of 234/5 at home.
MI all-rounder Tim David defended skipper Hardik Pandya’s strike rate in the ongoing IPL, stating that the Mumbai captain has been the “glue” holding the batting together for the five-time winners.
MI’s hard hitter batter Tim David supports sensational Hardik Pandya amidst his form in IPL 2024.
Mumbai Indians’ big-hitter Tim David has downplayed concerns over skipper Hardik Pandya’s batting form in IPL 2024. He asserted that the captain is doing a good job of holding the innings together, allowing the other batters to flourish.
In four matches, Hardik has contributed 108 runs at an average of 27 and a strike rate of 138.46. He has only hit 11 fours and three sixes. While some questions have been raised about the Mumbai Indians captain’s below-par strike rate, David said that there are no such worries in the MI camp.
Ahead of Mumbai Indians’ big clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Wankhede in Mumbai on Thursday, April 11, David threw his weight behind the MI captain.
“Hardik has been phenomenal in the way he has been playing for the team. That is what we need at some point. Sometimes it is me, sometimes it is other guys,” the MI batter was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
“You could go look at the first game where Hardik hit two boundaries in his first two balls. (We have) absolutely full faith in him. We know his power; we know how good he is. When he gets into that situation, he is going to win games for us,” the 28-year-old went on to elaborate.
In Mumbai’s previous IPL 2024 match against Delhi Capitals, Hardik contributed 39 off 33. While he scored at a strike rate of under 120, David opined that the captain set the platform for him and Romario Shepherd to launch the final assault.
“Look at the last match, we struggled really hard for momentum towards the back end (against Delhi Capitals). Hardik played a perfect innings that set the platform for myself and Romario (Shepherd) to go on with at the end,” the Aussie cricketer said..
“We got ourselves to a platform and he got that one ball that he could have hit for six. He hit it high on the bat and missed the middle and he is out (and) that is how the game goes,” he went on to add.
While David contributed 45* off 21 against Delhi Capitals, Shepherd clobbered 39* off only 10. Mumbai Indians’ 29-run win over Delhi Capitals was their first triumph in IPL 2024. Before that, they had suffered losses to Gujarat, Hyderabad and Rajasthan.