In a post-match analysis, Irfan Pathan raised questions about Hardik Pandya’s decision to send himself much lower in the batting order during MI’s IPL opener.
Former Indian fast bowler Irfan Pathan has raised eyebrows over Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya’s decision during their narrow six-run defeat against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Sunday.
The match marked Pandya’s debut as MI skipper, but it ended on a disappointing note. Chasing a target of 169, MI fell short despite a valiant effort. However, Pathan was more focused on Pandya’s batting order strategy, particularly his decision to bat lower down the order.
During a post-match analysis on his Instagram handle, Pathan questioned why Pandya opted to send Australian all-rounder Tim David ahead of himself to face Gujarat’s ace spinner, Rashid Khan. Watch the video below:
“When they were chasing, they sent Tim David higher up the order. He sent Tim David when Rashid Khan had an over left. I felt Hardik Pandya maybe didn’t want to face Rashid Khan after having not played cricket for a long time. This could be the case. I won’t agree with the fact that there was an experienced Indian batter sitting in the dressing room and sent an overseas player under pressure against Rashid. They missed a trick there,” said Pathan in the video.
Notably, keeping aside Pandya’s strategy, the loss extended MI’s unwanted record of losing their opening IPL match, making it a staggering 12 consecutive defeats since 2013.
Nevertheless, Pathan’s criticism highlighted that MI’s batting order choices might have hindered their chances of victory. Considering March 24th’s match a missed opportunity, Hardik will be put to the test again on March 27th against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Last Updated on March 25, 2024
