Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Hardik Pandya was the most highlighted name during the game against Gujarat Titans (GT). The 5th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 took place at the Narendra Modi International Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Hardik Pandya didn’t receive the rousing welcome from the Ahmedabad Crowd on Sunday (24th March). The all-rounder received boos from the fans and was at the receiving end of the “Rohit Rohit” chants. He also was criticized a lot for his tactics as a leader in the game.
However, despite all the hate and criticism, Hardik Pandya made sure that he won the hearts of a few as well with his heartwarming gesture. The Mumbai Indians skipper was seen applauding Rohit Sharma as the senior batter came back to the hut after playing a valiant innings with the bat.
Here’s the video:
Hardik Pandya applauding Rohit Sharma for his quick fire knock against GT yesterday.#MIvsGTpic.twitter.com/d28N0vuP6k
— Don Cricket 🏏 (@doncricket_) March 25, 2024
Rohit Sharma, who after 2013 was playing as a batter for the first time, had a great outing with the bat in the game. The senior India opener looked settled at the crease and played some magnificent shots in his innings. While opening the innings, he made sure that he kept his team in the hunt.
Till the time, Rohit Sharma was batting it was almost certain that Mumbai Indians would win the game. The India skipper had kept the run rate in check and also was putting Gujarat Titans’ bowlers under pressure as well. The opening batter along with Dewald Brevis (46) added 77 runs together and kept his team in the hunt.
Rohit Sharma played a vital innings of 43 runs off 29 balls for his team. The opening batter had a strike rate of around 150 and also hit 7 fours and 1 six in his innings. He looked all set for a big knock but his stay at the crease was cut short by Sai Kishore, who trapped him in Lbw.
After Rohit Sharma got out, the Mumbai Indians came under a lot of pressure. They lost wickets quickly and failed to chase the target. Tilak Varma (25), Tim David (11), and Hardik Pandya (11) tried their best with the bat but Gujarat Titans bowlers soaked in the pressure well and won the game by 6 runs.
We backed ourselves to chase those 42 runs – Hardik Pandya
Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya pointed out where his team fell short in the game against Gujarat Titans. He said that they were confident of chasing the last 42 runs but they lost momentum at the crucial juncture of the game. Speaking to broadcasters, he explained:
“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 a 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 be next seen in action when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in their next game on Wednesday (27th March).
