The clip of Hardik Pandya giving directions to Rohit Sharma during yesterday’s evening match has gone viral. In his debut match as the captain of Mumbai Indians, Hardik Pandya faced some struggle as he failed to make 43 runs in the final five overs against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Despite the partnership between Dewald Brevis and Tilak Varma and their efforts to stabilize the innings, MI couldn’t end their initial match woes in the IPL, losing by six runs after losing six wickets at 38 runs.
In Short
Hardik to Rohit Sharma(watch video)
Hardik made a significant investment in his first game in MI. After taking catches and celebrating in a peculiar way, he raised hopes with the bat for MI but performed poorly with the ball, conceding 20 runs without taking any wickets at the start of the innings. During the game, Hardik gave several directions like a captain, but one particular direction given to his predecessor and former MI captain Rohit Sharma caused quite a stir.
It's clearly visible that Hardik Pandya is unnecessarily changing Rohit's position💔
— प्रियंका भारती (@Impriya_bharti) March 25, 2024
I beg you Hardik pls respect that Gem 🙏🏼.#chapri #HardikPandya #RohitSharma𓃵 #GTvsMI #GTvMI #GujaratTitans #CSKvsGT #RCBvsPBKS #HappyHoli #DhruvRathee pic.twitter.com/VUKIdlAPr5
In the final overs of GT’s innings, thrown by Gerald Coetzee, Hardik instructed Rohit to go long-on. Perhaps Rohit was confused about who Hardik was signaling to; he confirmed with the captain if the direction was indeed intended for him. After being reassured, Rohit ran towards long-on and took his position. But that wasn’t the end of it. Hardik perhaps wanted Rohit to stay a bit more square or at midwicket as he continued signaling with his hands.
Different position for Rohit Sharma
Still, this was an unusual scene because Rohit has spent most of his career patrolling the inner circle, especially at the 30-yard circle, as a safe fielder. The Indian captain is a secure fielder, but at the age of 36, he can’t be as sprightly as some of the younger players in the team. As a captain, Rohit either stayed within the covers, making it easier to give directions or communicate with bowlers. This time it was Hardik’s role. But seeing Hardik giving orders to Rohit – which is quite normal for a captain – didn’t sit well with some enthusiastic fans of Rohit.
MI’s first match drama continues
The collective efforts of MI’s former and current captains almost secured a win for them. In a cakewalk of an innings, Rohit Sharma blazed a trail for Mumbai Indians, scoring 43 runs off just 29 balls with a flurry of boundaries (7 fours and a six). His partnership with Brevis for 77 runs set up a challenging target of 169 runs for MI, but unfortunately for MI, GT clinched the victory in the end.
They halted MI’s batting in the final five overs, conceding only 36 runs as the heat started to affect Mumbai’s middle-lower order. The chance for Mohit Sharma’s pace, combined with Umesh’s experience, means that MI will have to wait for another season to break their opener Hooda’s dominance.
GT’ Won
For GT, Sai Sudarshan scored the most runs with 45, albeit off 39 balls. Playing his first match for the franchise since the end of the 2022 season, Jasprit Bumrah made a remarkable comeback, finishing with impressive figures of 3/14. He dismissed Riddhiman Saha with a lethal yorker and got David Miller out with a slower delivery. Then again, nothing surprises about Bumrah.
Also Read : “Harshit Rana’s Last Over Heroics: KKR Seal Thrilling Victory Over Sunrisers Hyderabad by 4 Runs”
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