File picture of Hardik Pandya holding the T20 World Cup trophy at the felicitation ceremony for the team at Wankhede Stadium, in Mumbai
| Photo Credit: PTI

Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya is all set to lead India in the three-match T20 International series against Sri Lanka starting July 27.

However, one of the heroes of India’s T20 World Cup victory last month will take a break during the three-match ODI series, which is scheduled in August, due to “personal reasons”.

“Hardik Pandya was India’s T2O vice-captain under Rohit Sharma. He is completely fit and available for the three-match T20I series and will lead the side,” a senior BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Rohit retired from T20 Internationals at the end of the World Cup.

The T20Is against Sri Lanka will run from July 27 to 30 in Pallekele, followed by the ODIs from August 2 to 7 in Colombo. The squad for the series is expected to be announced in the next couple of days.

While there is still no clarity on who would be Pandya’s deputy, the toss-up is between Shubman Gill, who recently captained India to a 4-1 series win over Zimbabwe, and Suryakumar Yadav, who led the side during the T20Is against South Africa last year.

About the ODIs, the official confirmed that Pandya has asked for leave and has already communicated this to regular skipper Rohit Sharma, who is also taking a break from this series.

“The break from ODIs is for very personal reasons. Hardik doesn’t have any fitness issue as is being floated in the media,” the official said.

For the ODIs, KL Rahul, who led in the last ODI series in South Africa, and Gill are in contention for the leadership role.

Thrust on domestic availability

BCCI secretary Jay Shah has made it clear that even star cricketers must make themselves available for domestic engagements when they are free from national duty. But exceptions will be made for the likes of Rohit, Virat Kohli and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.

The BCCI would, however, want all the other Test specialists to play at least one if not a couple of Duleep Trophy games in August as a precursor to the Tests against Bangladesh and New Zealand.

“This time there is no zonal selection committee for Duleep Trophy. Only national selection committee will pick Duleep teams.

“All Test team contenders will be picked. For Rohit, Virat and Bumrah, it will be their choice if they want to play or not,” the source added.

Indian cricket player Hardik Pandya poses with the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup trophy, in Barbados.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Hardik Pandya rose two places to become the first Indian to occupy the number one spot in the ICC’s T20I all-rounders’ rankings on July 3, as the country’s cricketers improved their standings following their title-winning performance in the just-concluded World Cup.

The 30-year-old, who handed telling blows to South Africa in the T20 World Cup final on July 29 by dismissing half-centurion Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller in his 3/20 effort, climbed up two places to go level with Sri Lankan star Wanindu Hasaranga as the top-ranked men’s T20I all-rounder.

Following a topsy-turvy IPL where he was the target of fans’ boos as Mumbai Indians’ new captain, Pandya turned it around in style in the T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean.

Pandya made impactful cameos down the order with the bat and made breakthroughs with the ball when the team needed him to. He finished with 144 runs at a batting strike-rate of over 150 and also took 11 wickets in the tournament.

His best performance came in the final when he triggered a dramatic South African collapse after the Proteas needed 30 runs from 30 balls with Klaasen in full flow.

Pandya gave the decisive blow by dismissing Klaasen in the first ball of the 17th over.

He went on to bowl the tense final over and defended 16 runs to help India pip South Africa by seven runs and win their second T20 World Cup title.

Big mover Bumrah

India’s star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who won the Player of the Tournament award at the T20 World Cup for his 15 wickets, moved up 12 spots to be just outside the top-10. He’s at 12th, his highest position since the end of 2020.

There were other movements in the top 10 of the T20I all-rounders’ rankings, with Marcus Stoinis , Sikandar Raza, Shakib Al Hasan and Liam Livingstone rising by one spot each.

Mohammad Nabi moved down four spots to go out of the top five.

In the T20I bowling rankings, South Africa’s Anrich Nortje rose seven places to a career-best second spot to be just behind top-ranked Adil Rashid with 675 rating points.

Updated – July 03, 2024 04:59 pm IST

Published – July 01, 2024 12:32 pm IST

Indian team celebrates with the trophy after defeating South Africa in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2024 final in Barbados.
| Photo Credit: K.R. Deepak

The Indian cricket team won the ICC 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup with a narrow win over South Africa in Barbados on June 29, 2024. It was the national team’s second T20 World Cup title, and the first in 17 years.

Also Read:New beginnings: On India’s ICC T20 World Cup 2024 win

As the dust settles around the the famous victory, The Hindu delves into the performance of the winning side and the legacy of key individuals, some of whom have left the team.

Indian batter Rishabh Pant plays a shot against Bangladeshduring T20 World Cup 2024 warm-up match at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, Saturday, June 1, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

India ticked multiple boxes during their 60-run victory over Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup warm-up match here on Saturday, but none bolder than a fifty by Rishabh Pant which has all but sealed his place as the first-choice wicketkeeper batter in the ICC showpiece.

Pant’s 53 (32b, 4×4, 4×6), who was making his India comeback after that horrific car accident in December 2022, and Hardik Pandya’s equally pleasing (40 not out, 23b, 2×4, 4×6) led India to a competitive 182 for five after opting to bat first.

India faced little trouble in defending the total as left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh found his bowling wares, leading the restriction of Bangladesh to 122 for nine.

There was a token fightback from Mahmudullah Riyaz (40 retired out; 28b, 4×4, 1×6) and Shakib Al Hasan (28), who milked 75 runs for the sixth-wicket.

But it helped Bangladesh only to reduce the margin of defeat after they were reduced to 41 for five.

Arshdeep, who had a less than satisfactory outing in the IPL for Punjab Kings, struck twice inside the Power Play, ousting Soumya Sarkar, caught behind by Pant, and Litton Das, who was bowled by a lovely in-curler from over the wicket.Fellow pacer Mohammed Siraj added the wicket of Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto (0) as they slipped to 10 for three in 3.5 overs, and it was too deep a hole to claw back against a competent bowling unit, which has good variety through the ranks.

The Indian bowlers also showed excellent skills to exploit a slow pitch which was also aided by an equally sluggish outfield where the ball did not roll along. Pacer Shivam Dube also chipped in with two wickets (2/11).

For Bangladesh, the defeat was a continuation of their gloomy build-up to the World Cup as they had recently lost the three-match T20I series against the USA 1-2.

The insipid batting effort by Bangladesh also provided a better perspective to the innings of Pant and Pandya earlier.

It was their gumption that led India to an above-par score on a slow pitch, and something that will come very handy once India embrace the tournament proper from June 5 with a match against Ireland at this venue.

Pant has an edge over Sanju Samson after the knock

Pant retired after making 53 but not before nullifying a plethora of Bangladeshi slow bowlers.

But the knock has certainly given him an edge over Sanju Samson in the perceived competition for the wicketkeeper-batter slot.

Samson came in as opener ahead of Yashasvi Jaiswal along with skipper Rohit Sharma (23, 19b, 2×4, 1×6) as Virat Kohli, who was expected to open, skipped the match after he arrived here only on Friday.

However, Samson, who had a fine run in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals, was trapped in front of the wicket for a 6-ball 1 by left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam as he struggled to come to terms with the nature of the track.

There were also handy contributions by Suryakumar Yadav (31, 18b, 4×4) and Pandya (40) as India moved to a competitive total despite not having any single big partnership in their innings.

But the primary architect of that fighting total was Pant.

Pant, who returned to competitive cricket during the IPL 2024, had shown excellent touch for Delhi Capitals while making 287 runs from 13 matches with three fifties and at a strike-rate of 155.

The left-hander continued his fine touch here too, carting Bangladesh bowlers around.

There were those typical Pant shots, which are hard to describe, such as a stand-still flick off medium-pacer Soumya to fine-leg for a boundary or that one-handed six while he was out of balance off off-spinner Mahmudullah Riyadh.

Pant, who smashed Shakib Al Hasan for two successive sixes, brought his fifty in 32 balls with a boundary off Shakib before retiring to the pavilion.

Dube, who was dropped on four, could not exploit the let-off and was dismissed for a 16-ball 14 and at that stage India were 130 for four after 14.4 overs.

India were in need of some acceleration and Pandya provided just that.

Pandya, who was dropped on 26, slammed three consecutive sixes off left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam which were a treat to watch for their power and neat execution.

His innings and confidence might have immensely pleased the team management and himself after a modest outing as Mumbai Indians’ captain in a season where he was subjected to intense professional and personal scrutiny.

Bangladesh also suffered an injury scare as Shoriful walked off just before bowling the final ball of the innings, as Tanzim Hasan completed the over.

Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has nothing but empathy for Hardik Pandya as he navigates a challenging phase in his career and is hopeful that the all-rounder, who “hasn’t been a free man in the last two months”, will become one during next month’s T20 World Cup.

Pandya endured a forgettable IPL both as captain and player with his team Mumbai Indians ending bottom of the heap in the points table. What made things worse was the incessant jeering of fans whenever he took the field, including at MI’s home turf — the Wankhede Stadium.

Also read | ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2024: full schedule, dates and venues

But Harbhajan expects the tide to turn in the Americas during the T20 showpiece.

“When he wears that blue jersey, he will be a different Hardik Pandya because we know he can score those runs and take those wickets. I want Hardik to come good as he has gone through a lot and I wish him all the very best to have a very good tournament for India,” Harbhajan told PTI in an exclusive interview.

“If he has a good tournament, obviously India will have a great chance to go forward,” he said.

“Yes, his form is a bit of a concern…and lot of other stuff was going on around him, his shifting from Gujarat to Mumbai, was a big change and the team (MI) didn’t react too well to Hardik coming back and that too as captain,” the 43-year-old added.

The reason for the fan backlash against Pandya was MI’s decision to hand him the captaincy after taking it away from the long-serving Rohit Sharma.

There was speculation throughout the season that MI’s dressing room was a divided house due to the change of guard. Rohit will now captain the national side with Pandya as his deputy in the World Cup starting June 1.

Harbhajan, a multi format World Cup-winner, urged the team management to bring Pandya and Rohit on “same page”.

“…it looked like they (MI) were not playing together as a team. So there was a lot going on. Hardik wasn’t a free man in the last two months. I believe both of them and many others who have played in different teams will have to come together to do something special for the nation…,” he said.

“Winning a World Cup is a bigger achievement than winning an IPL trophy, so I would urge the management to bring everyone together, have them on one page and make sure they play like one.

“I believe it’s the responsibility of the management to come together, and win together. Even if they lose they should be losing together.”

Bumrah will need support

Jasprit Bumrah is the only speedster among the chosen three (the other two being Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj), who doesn’t need conditions to be successful, feels Harbhajan.

“Pace attack definitely could be a concern because because Bumrah is in a different league for the kind of bowler he is. He will win you games on any kind of pitch. He doesn’t need conditions whereas other bowlers like Arshdeep and Siraj would need help from conditions.

“If there’s bounce, Siraj might do well. He is tall, can also swing it both ways, hits the deck hard and has got pace. But if wickets are slow then the challenge begins for other bowlers.

“There will be lot of responsibility on Bumrah’s shoulders but I hope other guys also take responsibility to be someone special.”

IPL performances won’t matter

Harbhajan said IPL form would make no difference to the players’ fortunes in the ICC showpiece.

“No matter what you have done in your IPL career or previously, this is what counts the most…if I was in their shoes, I would be looking for this opportunity to showcase that I have been better than what I have been doing,” the ‘Turbanator’ stated.

Virat is a changed T20 batter

Harbhajan was mighty impressed with how Virat Kohli tweaked his T20 game during this year’s IPL by adding shots to his repertoire, which drastically improved his strike rate.

“Virat has shown a lot of improvement from last year to this year and people spoke about his strike rate. It was in 130s during last year and this time it is in 160s,” he said.

“Of course it’s a big big change. Virat and Rohit will have to score quickly in Powerplay but also need to respect the conditions in USA and West Indies.”

If Gambhir becomes coach

Harbhajan doesn’t know whether Gautam Gambhir, who is being spoken of as the favourite to take over India’s head coach position from the outgoing Rahul Dravid, will get the job but he does believe it would be a crown of thorns for whoever chooses to wear it.

“If I say it properly, it is a speculation, which is doing rounds…the biggest thing a coach can do is to bring everyone together, so that team plays together. So, whether Gautam becomes coach or Ashish Nehra, or whosoever gets the opportunity, hope they do better than what others before them did.” He also ruled himself out of the race.

“I don’t think I will be able to give that much time. At this stage of my life I have a young family and I need to be around them and look after them. Yes, when the right time comes, I will put my foot forward and say I am ready for it,” he concluded.

It’s not for nothing that Nicholas Pooran is rated so highly in white-ball cricket. At the Wankhede Stadium against Mumbai Indians on Friday, the Caribbean power-hitter’s blitz (75, 29b, 5×4, 8×6) piloted Lucknow Super Giants to 214 for six and set up an 18-run win in its final IPL fixture of the season.

A slow start by LSG captain K.L. Rahul (55, 41b, 3×4, 3×6) allowed the home team to keep things under check until the 11th over before Pooran took charge. Walking in with his team at 69 for three, Pooran counter-attacked. He hit a couple of fours and as many sixes off Anshul Kamboj before smashing two huge sixes off MI skipper Hardik Pandya.

Pooran brought up his third half-century of the season off just 19 deliveries and forged a 109-run stand with Rahul for the fourth wicket. He was at his scintillating best in the 15th over as hit Arjun Tendulkar’s first two deliveries for sixes before the bowler walked off the field due to cramps. The left-hander then hoisted Naman Dhir into the stands before missing a maximum off the fourth by a whisker. A single and a six from Rahul completed the over.

Just when he looked on course for a hundred, Pooran was caught by Suryakumar Yadav at long-on off Nuwan Thushara. Arshad Khan was dismissed off the next ball before Piyush Chawla performed a team hat-trick, removing Rahul off the first delivery of the next over.

Ayush Badoni slammed 19 off the final over bowled by Romario Shepherd .

MI started its chase briskly before rain interrupted play for 45 minutes. With Rohit Sharma (68, 38b, 10×4, 3×6) in good nick and Dewald Brevis lending good support, the host cruised to 78 for no loss in eight overs.

Rohit hit speedsters Mohsin Khan and Naveen-ul-Haq for a flurry of boundaries while Brevis joined in with a four and six off Naveen in the ninth over. The South African’s innings ended when he was caught by Krunal Pandya.

In the next over, Krunal dismissed Suryakumar Yadav for a duck before Ravi Bishnoi ended Rohit’s stay. Though Naman Dhir (62 n.o., 28b, 4×4, 5×6) battled on, the target proved too stiff for Hardik’s men.

SCOREBOARD

LUCKNOW SUPER GIANTS

K.L. Rahul c Thushara b Chawla 55 (41b, 3×4, 3×6), Devdutt Padikkal lbw b Thushara 0 (1b), Marcus Stoinis lbw b Chawla 28 (22b, 5×4), Deepak Hooda c Wadhera b Chawla 11 (9b, 1×4), Nicholas Pooran c Suryakumar b Thushara 75 (29b, 5×4, 8×6), Arshad Khan c Wadhera b Thushara 0 (1b), Ayush Badoni (not out) 22 (10b, 1×4, 2×6), Krunal Pandya (not out) 12 (7b, 1×4, 1×6); Extras (w-11): 11; Total (for six wkts. in 20 overs): 214.

FALL OF WICKETS

1-1 (Padikkal, 0.3 overs), 2-49 (Stoinis, 5.6), 3-69 (Hooda, 9.3), 4-178 (Pooran, 16.5), 5-178 (Arshad, 16.6), 6-178 (Rahul, 17.1).

MUMBAI INDIANS BOWLING

Thushara 4-0-28-3, Arjun 2.2-0-22-0, Anshul 3-0-48-0, Chawla 4-0-29-3, Wadhera 2-0-13-0, Hardik 2-0-27-0, Naman 0.4-0-17-0, Shepherd 2-0-30-0.

MUMBAI INDIANS

Rohit Sharma (Impact Player in place of Thushara) c Mohsin b Bishnoi 68 (38b, 10×4, 3×6), Dewald Brevis c Hardik b Naveen 23 (20b, 1×4, 2×6), Suryakumar Yadav c Bishnoi b Krunal 0 (3b), Ishan Kishan b Naveen 14 (15b, 1×4), Hardik Pandya c Naveen b Mohsin 16 (13b, 1×4, 1×6), Nehal Wadhera c Krunal b Bishnoi 1 (3b), Naman Dhir (not out) 62 (28b, 4×4, 5×6), Romario Shepherd (not out) 1 (1b); Extras (nb-1, w-10): 11; Total (for six wkts. in 20 overs): 196.

FALL OF WICKETS

1-88 (Brevis, 8.4), 2-89 (Suryakumar, 9.2), 3-97 (Rohit, 10.5), 4-116 (Hardik, 13.3), 5-120 (Wadhera, 14.2), 6-188 (Kishan, 19.3).

SUPER GIANTS BOWLING

Arshad 2-0-11-0, Henry 2-0-24-0, Krunal 4-0-29-1, Mohsin 4-0-45-1, Naveen (Impact Player in place of Badoni) 4-0-50-2, Bishnoi 4-0-37-2.

Toss: MI; PoM: Pooran.

LSG won by 18 runs.

Captain Hardik Pandya’s pace and veteran leg-spinner Piyush Chawla’s craft put the brakes on Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batting line-up before Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma’s scintillating display with the willow gave Mumbai Indians a rare win this season.

Riding on Suryakumar’s 51-ball unbeaten 102, studded with 12 fours and six sixes, and his unbroken third-wicket association of 143 off just 79 balls with Tilak (37 not out, 32b, 6×4), the host overhauled the target of 174 with 16 balls to spare.

When Tilak took guard in the fifth over, MI was in a spot of bother.

With the Sunrisers pace battery having reduced the home team to 31 for three, Mumbai Indians was in danger of letting its bowlers’ good work come apart because of another poor show by the top-order.

Ishan Kishan, straightened up by Marco Jansen, was caught in slips, Rohit Sharma miscued a pull off Cummins, and Naman Dhir slashed Bhuvneshwar to point to make early exits.

But in the seventh over, Suryakumar changed the complexion by taking on Jansen. In what turned out to be a 22-run over, Suryakumar swung the left-arm pacer over the fine-leg fence twice with his trademark behind-the-wicket innovations.

Then on, Tilak played a perfect second fiddle as his partner continued to torment the opposition attack.

The flamboyant batter settled a score with Cummins by essaying three consecutive pull shots in the 17th over that not only brought MI to the cusp of a win but also put him on the verge of a hundred. He achieved both the milestones in the next over by lofting S. Natarajan’s first ball over long-off for a six.

Had it not been for Chawla and Hardik’s partnership with the ball, MI would have been chasing a stiffer target.

The duo picked three crucial wickets — Travis Head, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Heinrich Klaasen — for just six runs in 11 balls to derail Sunrisers from 90 for two to 96 for five.

The two shared another three scalps in the 16th and 17th overs to put MI on top before Cummins’ cameo helped SRH cross the 170-run mark.

Scoreboard

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Travis Head c Tilak Varma b Chawla 48 Abhishek Sharma c Ishan Kishan b Bumrah 11 Mayank Agarwal b Anshul Kamboj 5 Nitish Reddy c Anshul Kamboj b Hardik Pandya 20 Heinrich Klaasen b Chawla 2 Marco Jansen b Hardik Pandya 17 Shahbaz Ahmed c Suryakumar Yadav b Hardik Pandya 10 Abdul Samad lbw b Chawla 3 Pat Cummins not out 35 Sanvir Singh not out 8 Extras: (LB-2, W-9, NB-3) 14

Total: (For 8 wickets in 20 Overs) 173

Fall of wickets: 1-56, 2-68, 3-90, 4-92, 5-96, 6-120, 7-124, 8-136.

Mumbai Indians bowling: Nuwan Thushara 4-0-42-0, Anshul Kamboj 4-0-42-1, Jasprit Bumrah 4-0-23-1, Hardik Pandya 4-0-31-3, Piyush Chawla 4-0-33-3.

Mumbai Indians: Ishan Kishan c Mayank b Jansen 9 (7b, 2×4), Rohit Sharma c Klaasen b Cummins 4 (5b, 1×4), Naman Dhir c Jansen b Bhuvneshwar 0 (9b), Suryakumar Yadav (not out) 102 (51b, 12×4, 6×6), Tilak Varma (not out) 37 (32b, 6×4)

Extras: (b-4, lb-10, w-8): 22

Total: (for three wkts. in 17.2 overs): 174.

Fall of wickets: 1-26 (Kishan, 1.4), 2-31 (Rohit, 3.2), 3-31 (Dhir, 4.1).

Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling: Bhuvneshwar 4-1-22-1, Jansen 3-0-45-1, Cummins 4-1-35-1, Natarajan 3.2-0-31-0, Nitish 2-0-16-0, Shahbaz 1-0-11-0.

Toss: Mumbai Indians. PoM: Suryakumar

MI won by seven wickets with 16 balls to spare

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya walks off the ground during the IPL match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians, at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, Friday, May 3, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

India vice-captain Hardik Pandya looks drained, flattened, under pressure and Mumbai Indians looks like a confused unit under him, reckons former cricketers Aaron Finch and Greame Smith as five-time champions continue to struggle in the IPL.

Pandya once again walked out to loud boos around the Wankhede Stadium here on Friday during Mumbai Indians’ yet another disappointing outing, which they lost by 24 runs to Kolkata Knight Riders.

Mumbai Indians had begun the contest on a positive note by snaffling five quick wickets to leave KKR reeling at 57 for five, but the visitors fought back to post 169 on the board.

In reply, Mumbai crashed out for 145 in 18.5 overs despite Suryakumar Yadav’s 56.

Pandya lasted only two deliveries as Mumbai’s batters once again cut a sorry figure on a two-paced track to succumb to their eighth defeat in 11 matches this season.

“He just looks really flattened at the moment, he looks really drained and someone who is feeling the pressure. I feel for him; I have been in that situation myself where everything that you’re trying personally doesn’t seem to be working,” Finch was quoted as saying by Star Sports.

“When the team isn’t performing as well, that is a very difficult place to be. It one thing where you’re not performing and the team is winning — that is something you’d take as a captain. You bear all responsibility as captain for the team’s performance and that is an incredibly hard place to be, particularly in this competition where it’s so brutal,” Finch added.

The former Australia opener conceded Mumbai Indians should have got over the line chasing 170 at a ground considered a haven for batters.

“You would expect them to chase 170 with the dew falling at the Wankhede stadium. It’s a beautiful place to bat, generally. Yes, it was a bit uncharacteristic in the way it turned a bit more two-paced than what we have seen in the past,” Finch said.

South Africa’s legendary captain Graeme Smith said MI have been a ‘confused team’ under Pandya with plenty of changes being made with the personnel.

“Hardik has really struggled, he’s looked like a man under pressure. That has created a little turmoil in the air, who knows how that has affected the people. But even the batting lineup, they look like they’re confused,” he said.

“Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir were fighting in the middle order, Dhir was batting at No 3, and Hardik moving all over the place. They should have had Tilak at (No) 3, Sky at (No) 4, and Hardik batting at (No) 5 throughout the season, with David at (No) 6. Then, figure out your bowling units,” he said.

“All over and all around, they’ve been a very confused team this season and it’s been hugely disappointing from one of the mega franchises of the IPL. A lot of people in the MI fanbase and camp will be very sore,” Smith added.

Former Australia vice-captain Shane Watson was also critical of Pandya’s captaincy calls, saying MI allowed KKR back into the game by not deploying their best bowler when they were 57 for five.

“To keep bowling Naman Dhir when it was so critical (KKR were at 57-5), it was a big mistake from the leadership of the Mumbai Indians, whether it was Hardik Pandya making the decisions or information coming from the sideline,” Watson told Jio Cinema.

“(Jasprit) Bumrah had bowled only one over at that stage, so (they needed to) get him in the game again to try and break the partnership of Venkatesh Iyer and Manish Pandey, but they didn’t. They just let them cruise and build momentum in the partnership.”

“Before you know it, they hadn’t played a shot in anger and that built the partnership to a point where it was too late when he came in. There were a lot of baffling decisions from the Mumbai Indians’ leadership, which is going to be hard to explain,” Watson added.

Mumbai Indians’ Hardik Pandya bowls during the Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians, at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, in Lucknow on April 30, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya has been fined ₹24 lakh after his team’s second slow over-rate offence in the Indian Premier League during their match against Lucknow Super Giants in Lucknow.

All the other players, including the Impact Player, were each individually fined either ₹6 lakh or 25% of their respective match fees, whichever is lesser.

MI lost the match by four wickets at the Ekana Stadium on April 30.

“Mr. Hardik Pandya, Captain, Mumbai Indians has been fined after his team maintained a slow over-rate during Match 48 of the TATA Indian Premier League [IPL] 2024 against Lucknow Super Giants on April 30, 2024,” the IPL said in a statement.

“As it was his team’s second offence of the season under the IPL’s Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences, Pandya was fined INR 24 Lac,” it said adding, “The rest of the members of the Playing XI, including the Impact Player, were each individually fined either INR 6 Lac or 25% of their respective match fees, whichever is lesser.”

File picture of India captain Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya
| Photo Credit: AP

Yuzvendra Chahal and Shivam Dube were named in India’s 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. The team, announced by BCCI on Tuesday, will be led by Rohit Sharma. Hardik Pandya serves as the vice-captain.

Leggie Chahal, ignored for India’s recent T20 assignments, was picked on the strength of good returns for Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing IPL season. Chahal is the only right-arm spinner in the squad, with southpaws Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav forming the rest of the spin attack.

Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj are the specialist pacers.

Also read | ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2024: full schedule, dates and venues

Lucknow Super Giants skipper K.L. Rahul and Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Dinesh Karthik were among the notable omissions. Karthik had harboured hopes of making the bus, after finding good form as a finisher for RCB.

Shubman Gill lost out on the opener slot to Yashasvi Jaiswal. Gill and lower-order batter Rinku Singh were named in the reserves. Rinku gave way to Dube, who has shown a penchant for big hits.

The tournament marks the international comeback of wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant. Pant, who last donned the India cap in December 2022, was forced into a long layoff after suffering a car accident. The 26-year-old has proved his worth in IPL 2024, making vital contributions with the bat for Delhi Capitals (DC) and showing athleticism with the ’keeping gloves.

RR captain and fan-favourite Sanju Samson is the second gloveman. Samson has shone bright for RR, batting at a strike-rate of 161.08 with an average of 77.

Keeping faith in Kohli

The selectors have kept their faith in Virat Kohli, who in recent times has been criticised for not keeping a high strike-rate. Kohli had dismissed these concerns after an unbeaten 44-ball 70 for RCB against Gujarat Titans on Sunday, stating that “it is just about winning the game for the team.”

Trust has also been placed on Hardik, who has struggled in his maiden season as captain of Mumbai Indians. Hardik has failed with both bat and ball, and has faced the ire of MI fans who are unhappy with him replacing Rohit as the MI skipper.

India commences its World Cup campaign against Ireland on June 5 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium (New York), followed by the highly-anticipated clash against Pakistan on June 9 at the same venue.

India then takes on USA and Canada on June 12 and 15 respectively.

Full squad

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Hardik Pandya (Vice Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj.

Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan.