Image Source: PTI
[Saba Sports News] In their second match of the season, Mumbai Indians squared off against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, treating fans to some remarkable power-hitting displays from both teams. Despite the thrilling showcase of batting prowess, Mumbai Indians suffered their second consecutive loss in the ongoing tournament.
Notably, since the start of the IPL 2024 season, MI captain Hardik Pandya has faced criticism and jeers from both the stadium crowd and social media. In the previous game, after Hardik scored a modest 24 runs off 20 balls and was dismissed, fans began chanting “Rohit Rohit” and directed their displeasure towards Hardik as he exited the field. A video capturing this incident was shared by a user on ‘X’, quickly gaining attention online.
Following the defeat as the losing captain, Hardik Pandya acknowledged the challenge of defending 277 runs, lauding the opposition’s batting and recognizing the difficulty faced by his team’s bowlers on a pitch favoring batsmen. He expressed faith in his young bowling attack’s potential for improvement and praised debutant Kwena Maphaka’s performance.
“Not really (anticipated SRH would score 277 at the toss). The wicket was good, and scoring 277, regardless of how well or poorly you bowl, if the opposition manages to score that much, they have batted well. Our bowlers were good; it was a tough outing, with nearly 500 runs scored on a pitch favoring batsmen. We could have made a few adjustments here and there, but considering we have a young bowling attack, we will learn from this experience.
“If the ball keeps going into the stands, it naturally takes time to complete the overs. Everyone (the batsmen) seemed to be in good touch, and it’s just a matter of time before we rectify things. Kwena Maphaka was fantastic in his debut game; despite the nerves, he backed his skill set and just needs more game time to excel,” Pandya stated during the post-match presentation.