Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes Hardik Pandya did not wanted to bat against the gun leg-spinner Rashid Khan as he dissected Mumbai Indians' captain's decision to bat at No.7 against the Gujarat Titans. The 39-year-old also felt that an overseas batter shouldn't have come out to bat against Rashid.
Chasing a modest, yet tricky 169, Hardik came out to bat when the Titans needed 27 off 12 deliveries. The 30-year-old did play a cameo of 11 from 4 balls before perishing at a crucial stage, leading the five-time champions to lose by 6 runs eventually.
Speaking in a video on Instagram, Pathan observed the situation and shared his thoughts, stating:
"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 sending an overseas player under pressure against Rashid. They missed a trick there."
"It was one of those days" - Hardik Pandya
Responding to the 6-run loss, the 30-year-old said at the post-match presentation that Mumbai Indians lost some momentum in the final 5 overs as 42 runs were quite gettable. He also praised the crowd, stating:
"Obviously we backed ourselves to chase those 42 runs but it was one of those days when we see the score quite less compared to what it could have been in five overs, I think we lost little bit of momentum there. It feels good to be back because this is one stadium where you can enjoy and feel the atmosphere quite lively and obviously the crowd was full and they got a good game as well."
Mumbai Indians will next face the SunRisers Hyderabad on Wednesday.
