“What Is The Problem?”: Mohammed Shami Questions Hardik Pandya’s MI Captaincy, Takes ‘Tailender’ Dig | Cricket News

Hardik Pandya’s start as captain of Mumbai Indians was a forgettable one. Under his leadership, Mumbai Indians started the IPL 2024 campaign with a six-run loss against Gujarat Titans. Chasing a target of 169, Mumbai Indians fell short despite the match entering the final over. Captain Hardik Pandya could only score 11 runs from four deliveries, but what was even more baffling was his batting position at number 7. The decision was widely criticized and Pandya’s Indian cricket teammate Mohammed Shami is also surprised.

“There’s a lot of talk about the left-right combination. I don’t understand things like that. Last game we also talked about the extent to which Pat Cummins has matured. You have to stay one step ahead. You should think: ‘I am the Captain, I must take this responsibility.” As for Hardik, you have batted at number 3 and number 4 at Gujarat Titans. What is the problem in batting at number 4 or 5 here in MI? Hardik at number 7 basically becomes a tailender,” Shami said on Itch.

“When you come to bat at number 7, you come in with a lot of pressure. I think if Hardik had come in earlier, the match would have gone by for the last time.”

‘Is he following the Dhoni template?’ the anchor asked Shami.

“Dhoni is Dhoni. You cannot compare anyone. Everyone has a different mentality, be it Dhoni or Kohli. You have to stay in the game depending on your skills. You have batted at number 3 and 4 in the last two seasons. You are used to that position. At most you can bat at No. 5, but not at No. 7,” Shami replied.

Manoj Tiwary, who was part of the panel, indicated that Hardik’s decision to bat at number 7 was not taken by the MI captain alone.

“I don’t think it was his decision. In Gujarat I think only two people were in charge of the game, Hardik and Nehra. There are some big names in the Mumbai dugout. So probably they could have pushed him into it to drop the order.” because they have invested a lot in young players like Tilak Verma and Brevis. Mark Boucher will obviously listen to Sachin… he will then discuss with other members of the team management and then decide,” he said.