Former Indian pacer turned commentator Irfan Pathan slammed Hardik Pandya for his low strike rate during the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Wednesday, March 27th.
The recent decision by the Mumbai Indians to bring back Hardik Pandya from the Gujarat Titans and appoint him as captain, replacing Rohit Sharma, stirred up strong emotions among fans. Supporters of Rohit Sharma and loyal fans of the Mumbai Indians were disheartened, feeling that Rohit had been unfairly treated. Consequently, Hardik Pandya faced a wave of criticism and hostility.
In their first IPL 2024 match against the Gujarat Titans, held in Ahmedabad, the crowd’s reaction spoke volumes. Fans of Rohit Sharma expressed their dissatisfaction by booing and jeering at Hardik Pandya, despite his association with the Mumbai Indians. This incident highlighted Rohit Sharma’s revered status within the Mumbai Indians franchise. Unfortunately for the Mumbai Indians, the match against the Gujarat Titans ended in defeat, despite initially showing promise during the chase. The loss further intensified the scrutiny on the decision to make Hardik Pandya captain and the subsequent backlash against him.
In their next showdown at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, the Mumbai Indians faced another setback, this time against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, marking their second consecutive defeat in the IPL 2024 season, falling short by 31 runs.
During the clash with Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday, March 27, Irfan Pathan couldn’t resist a jab at Hardik Pandya’s performance. Pandya, leading the Mumbai Indians as skipper, struggled with a strike rate of 120.0 as they attempted to chase down a daunting 277 runs set by SRH.
Following the game, Irfan Pathan headed to his Twitter account to playfully tease Hardik Pandya about his lower strike rate when facing off against SRH. “If the whole team is playing with the strike of 200, Captain can’t bat with the batting strike rate of 120,” Irfan Pathan posted on X.
It’s worth noting that apart from Pandya, every Mumbai Indians batsman put up an impressive strike rate during their innings. Take, for example, the openers Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan, who boasted strike rates of over 200, setting a blazing pace. Even Naman Dhir, batting at number three, managed to maintain a strike rate of 214. And then there’s Tilak Verma, who came in at number four and scored a quick 64 off just 34 balls, striking at 188.24. Tim David also showcased his prowess with an unbeaten 42 off 22 balls, clocking a commendable strike rate of 190.1. Romario Shepherd, not to be outdone, remained unbeaten on 15 off just 6 deliveries, boasting a staggering strike rate of 250.0.
Despite their promising start, chasing a daunting target of 278, Mumbai Indians faltered along the way. They kicked off with a bang, racking up 76 runs in the first six powerplay overs. By the 11th over, they had crossed the 150-run mark, led by Hardik Pandya and his teammates. However, their momentum stalled, and they could only manage to reach 246-5 by the final ball, ultimately falling short by 31 runs when the match concluded.
