Excellent with the ball but below par with the bat, Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya didn’t have the best of outing as a batter as his team suffered its second defeat in a row. Hardik could only score 11 runs off 16 balls before being undone by a Kagiso Rabada slower one on the 17th. The MI skipper joined former captain Rohit Sharma in the list of under-firing batters as the franchise continues to wait for its maiden victory of the campaign.
After MI’s top-order failed to give team the start it desired, the likes of Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav did well to keep the team in the hunt for a target of 197 runs. The onus was on Hardik to build on the platform Surya and Tilak had given. But, Hardik hardly seemed to get an understanding of the nature of the pitch before being sent packing by Rabada.
Social media lost it cool at the MI skipper, targeting him for the failed stint in the middle-order when the team required him the most.
Hardik 11 (17)pic.twitter.com/FJZ5dw1A1y
— omkar (@_Satyanweshi_) March 29, 2025
Number Of Runs Hardik Scored : 11
Number Of Hugs Hardik Gave After Match : 15#GTvMI #HardikPandya pic.twitter.com/BzV9Yk3nWP
— (@TheRockyOG) March 29, 2025
Hardik Pandya said, “Openers need to take responsibility”.
Responsible Hardik with bat – 11(17) pic.twitter.com/ielfjy3QXA
— Imsajal45 (@Sajalsinha0264) March 29, 2025
Hardik 11(17) #MIvGTpic.twitter.com/t2xjQBZlL2
— Mahesh Manu (@BManoha16490298) March 29, 2025
After the end of the match, Hardik said that he and his team found it tough to bat against the slower deliveries being bowled by MI pacers.
“Tough to put it together, I think in batting and bowling we were 15-20 runs short in both places. We were not professionals in the field, we made basic errors, and that cost us 20-25 runs and in a T20 game, that is quite a lot. They (GT openers) batted brilliantly. They were quite exceptional, they did not take many chances, they did the right stuff, and they were able to get runs without playing many risky shots. We have been doing catch-up since then. At the moment, we all need to take responsibility; it is still the early stages. Batters have to come to the party, hopefully, they will do that soon. On this wicket, they (slower deliveries) were the toughest balls, some were shooting, and some were bouncing, as batters it becomes difficult. They (GT bowlers) did what I did with the ball.”
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