Hardik Pandya’s wife Natasa Stankovic©Instagram
It has been a tough start to the IPL 2024 for Mumbai Indians with two defeats in their first two matches. The franchise was in the news even before the start of the competition after the sensational trade of Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titans and the decision to replace Rohit Sharma with the all-rounder as captain. The move hasn’t worked for them so far, with a narrow defeat to Gujarat Titans to start proceedings and a heavy defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad where they conceded 277 runs in 20 overs. Hardik received a lot of criticism from fans and experts alike and his wife Natasa Stankovic became the target of trolls on social media.
Meanwhile, after his side’s 31-run defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on Wednesday, Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Hardik Pandya sought to boost his side’s confidence and said that “the toughest soldiers will face the toughest test” in the tournament.
In a video posted on MI’s social media, Hardik motivated his side after their second consecutive defeat asking the side to help each other in “worst or good” situations.
“The toughest soldiers get the toughest test; we are the toughest team in the league, anyone who could have come close to where we could have come as a hitting group or just in general is us – let’s make sure we support each other will help; worst or good, we will be together,” Hardik said.
Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar said the match was very open even though Mumbai conceded 277 runs. He added that Mumbai batted “well” in their inning.
“In the second half, despite scoring 277, ten overs away, no one knew who was the clear winner. The game was very open. The target was very achievable. That is a clear sign that we have batted. Very well. So let’s stick together, even closer. Tougher moments will come, we will stick together as a group and get through it,” Tendulkar said.
(With ANI inputs)
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