Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan was unimpressed with Mumbai Indians’ skipper Hardik Pandya after the humiliating defeat against the Chennai Super Kings. He slammed the skipper for his unresponsive moves after the team faced a thrashing defeat by a huge margin of 103 runs.
Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings is one of the biggest rivalries in the history of the competition. However, MI struggled with their form once again at their home ground and lost another home game. CSK, on the other hand, were once again back on the winning track.
The Chennai Super Kings have climbed the points table in the IPL and have now taken the fifth position in the points table. On the other hand, the Mumbai Indians are now in the 8th position, only above the likes of LSG and KKR.
Irfan Pathan blames Hardik Pandya for wrong captaincy during CSK’s batting innings
Irfan Pathan, the former Indian all-rounder, looked highly unimpressed with Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya, who labelled his captaincy as mindless and irresponsible. MI was bundled for a score of just 104 runs while chasing a big target of 208 runs.
The former cricketer questioned his decision to bowl youngster Krish Bhagat instead of bringing himself back into the attack. The youngster was slashed for 31 runs off 2 overs, while Hardik Pandya himself just bowled two overs in the game.
“You (Hardik Pandya) make Krish Bhagat, who is playing his second match, bowl his first over in the 15th or 16th over against a set Sanju Samson. It was a wrong decision. You gave the last over to him, which was again not the right decision. You need to take responsibility and do better as a captain,” said former all-rounder Irfan Pathan.
The team batting first has won four out of the last six T20 matches- Irfan Pathan
Irfan Pathan also pointed out that teams playing in the shortest format of the game at the Wankhede have had a winning streak for the teams batting first. However, Hardik, after winning the toss, made a blunt decision to chase the score.
This was followed by Hardik Pandya not bowling his full quota of overs, despite the excellent Sanju Samson still standing on the crease.
“The team batting first has won four out of the last six T20 matches at Wankhede, but you wanted to chase here after winning the toss. It is a difficult task to win the toss and say we would bat first, but you will have to show that courage,” he added.
He hit a big shot straightaway- Irfan Pathan pointed out the flaws in Hardik Pandya’s batting
“He hit a big shot straightaway. Yes, MI were under pressure at the time, but you were also searching for form. Hardik has not scored a half-century since 2023. He will need to move his feet when there is some help for the bowlers on the pitch.”
“His stance was also different earlier. Now it has become wider, which gives him a good balance, and he plays really well on pitches that have pace. When there is a slight grip or help, he will have to work on that.”
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