Ex-Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan lashed out at Hardik Pandya for allowing the Kolkata Knight Riders to come back into the contest in the IPL 2024 match on Friday at the Wankhede Stadium. Pathan criticised the Mumbai Indians skipper for using his 6th bowler when he had the chance to control the contest.
With the Knight Riders sliding to 57-5 inside 10 overs after losing the toss, Pandya turned to Naman Dhir, who leaked 25 runs in his 3 wicketless overs. It formed the building blocks of the 83-run partnership between Venkatesh Iyer and Manish Pandey as the visitors put in a winning total of 169.
Speaking in a video uploaded on Instagram, Pathan observed that it's justified for Pandya to be criticised, given how he let the Knight Riders off the hook.
"Mumbai Indians ki kahani khatam. Dekhiye yeh itni acchi thi paper mein, lekin usse manage nahin kiya gaya. Hardik Pandya ki kaptaani pe jo sawaal uth rahe they woh sahin they kyunki aaj dobara jab KKR ke saamne 57-5 kar diye, uske baad aap Naman Dhir ko 3 over lagaatar dene ki koi zarurat hee nahin thi. Aapko apne pramukh gendbaaz ko leke aana tha. Aap apne 6th bowler ko 3 over dala diye. Wahan pe saajhedari ban gayi thi Venkatesh Iyer aur Manish Pandey ki - 83 run ki saajhedaari."
("Mumbai Indians' story is finished in the IPL 2024. They were a very good team on paper but they have not been managed well. Questions on Hardik Pandya's captaincy are absolutely valid. Today when KKR were 57/5, you bowled 3 bowlers of Naman Dhir. You bowled your 6th bowler, let KKR form a crucial partnership between Manish Pandey and Venkatesh Iyer. The 83-run partnership took KKR to 170 when they should have only got to 150 and that turned out to be the point of difference.")
"Even today, captaincy has a big impact on the game" - Irfan Pathan
Pathan further stated that team work is lacking in the Mumbai Indians and added:
"Jahan pe 150 pe all out kar sakte they wahan 170 run bana diye aur vahi difference raha. Isliye baar baar kehte hain ki aaj bhi cricket mein kaptaani ka bahut bada asar hota hai aur manage karna bahut zaroori hai jo manage nahin kiya gaya. Mumbai Indians ek jut hokar nahin khel rahi hai."
("Captaincy has a big impact in the game. Mumbai Indians don't look like a united team, and management needs to consider this. Players need to respect and accept the captain, and we didn't see that on-field. They have to improve in that aspect.")
Although Mumbai Indians are alive mathematically, they need plenty of things to go their way to reach the playoffs.
