Mumbai Indian skipper Hardik Pandya during IPL 2024© AFP
Mumbai Indians slumped to a nine-wicket loss against Rajasthan Royals in their IPL 2024 match on Monday and there were once again concerns over Hardik Pandya‘s performance – both as a player and the captain. Hardik scored just 10 runs after coming out to bat at No. 7 and conceded 37 runs in 4 overs without taking a single wicket. The decision to appoint Hardik as the MI skipper in place of Rohit Sharma was not received well by a section of the fanbase and with the five-time champions struggling at seventh spot in the points table, the chatter is growing with every single day. Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan believes that Hardik is looking at easy ways to regain his lost form and if he continues to underperform in the tournament, he faces the risk of becoming the ‘weak link’ for his team.
“Mumbai Indians is still a very good team on paper but being managed very poorly. Especially, if Hardik Pandya as a leader lacks form, he will become a weak link for his own team. What I am most worried about is that he is affecting his own hitting abilities. This is a matter of concern – even for the Indian team. It seems as if he is looking for easy ways to come back to form and wants to keep himself in a comfortable position. And that is how he will not be able to win the respect of his team and teammates,” Pathan said in a video.
Pathan was also disappointed with some of the decisions taken by Hardik during the game and added that it can lead to the all-rounder losing respect inside the team as a leader.
Hardik, who batted at No. 4 quite a lot for Gujarat Titans, relegated himself to No. 7 despite his side losing three quick wickets against RR. It did not work out for the side and during the RR innings, his decision to bowl the first over in place of experienced bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah also received a lot of backlash.
“When the batters do well, he comes to bat at No. 3. And here, he sent Nehal Wadhera and Mohammad Nabi ahead of himself. He doesn’t come at a position where he needs to do the tough job. If as a leader, you have to earn your teammates’ respect, he’s got to do the tough tasks; don’t look for easy ways. He bowls the first over thinking that he’ll escape, but even there, he gets struck for 2 fours, helps Buttler get in form, and then when Bumrah bowls, Buttler gets the confidence to play him out,” added Pathan.
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