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India and MI all-rounder Hardik Pandya did not have the start he had expected as captain of the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024. However, he had success at the toss and invited the Gujarat Titans to bat first, his side could not chase the 169-run target and registered their 12th straight defeat in their tournament opener in the IPL history.
The 30-year-old faced heat for several on-field instances and his former teammate Gujarat Titans, Indian pacer Mohammed Shami also criticised some decisions taken by the Indian all-rounder during his captaincy stint against GT in IPL 2024. Speaking with Cricbuzz, Shami questioned Hardik’s decision to bat down the order, taking a dig with “tailender”.
“There is a lot of talks about left-right combination. I don’t understand such things. Last match also we talked about 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 No. 5 here in MI? Hardik at No. 7 basically become a tailender,” Mohammed Shami said while speaking with 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,” he further opined.
Furthermore, the anchor of the show questioned Shami that if Hardik “is following Dhoni template?” to which the Indian pacer replied adding that nobody can compare anyone as every captain has a different frame of mind. “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,” he added.
I feel it wasn’t his call: Manoj Tiwary
Former India cricketer Manoj Tiwary, who was also part of the panel along with the Indian pacer, feels that this decision of Hardik to come out at bat at No. 7 wasn’t solely made by him. MI Head Coach Mark Boucher, Sachin Tendulkar along with several others might be involved in this decision.
“I feel it wasn’t his call. In Gujarat, I feel, only two people were running the game, Hardik and [Head Coach Ashish] 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,” he said.
“Mark Boucher will obviously listen to Sachin …. he will then discuss with other members of the team management and then decide,” feels Manoj Tiwary.
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