'Hardik Pandya smiling too much...' Pietersen, Gavaskar blast MI skipper after poor show vs CSK (WATCH)
Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen and Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar criticized Mumbai Indians' skipper Hardik Pandya following their loss to Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2024. Pietersen noted Pandya's struggle with criticism, while Gavaskar questioned his bowling decisions, particularly against CSK's Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Dhoni's quickfire 20 runs were pivotal in CSK's victory.
FollowFormer England cricketer Kevin Pietersen and Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar have criticized Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya following his team's disappointing performance against Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2024.
As Mumbai Indians' loss to Chennai Super Kings, Kevin Pietersen remarked that Hardik Pandya appeared to be trying too hard to maintain a happy facade despite facing backlash from fans. Pietersen emphasized that Pandya cannot simply ignore the criticism, drawing from his own experience of being under scrutiny.
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Meanwhile, Sunil Gavaskar questioned Pandya's decision to bowl generously to CSK veteran Mahendra Singh Dhoni during the match. Gavaskar highlighted Pandya's conceding of 26 runs in the final over, which included Dhoni's blistering cameo of 20 runs off just four balls. Gavaskar criticized Pandya's bowling strategy, particularly the delivery choices against Dhoni, stating that better decision-making could have restricted CSK to a lower total.
Despite a commendable 90-run partnership between Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube for Chennai Super Kings, Gavaskar believed that Mumbai Indians should have limited their opponent to a lower score, giving themselves a better chance to secure victory.
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Notably, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's quickfire 20 runs, featuring three consecutive sixes, proved crucial in steering Chennai Super Kings to victory. The match ultimately saw Mumbai Indians scored 186 runs for the loss of six wickets, falling short by 20 runs as Chennai emerged victorious.
The impact of Dhoni's cameo was significant, as it propelled CSK's total beyond the 200-run mark. Had Dhoni not delivered those crucial runs, the outcome of the match could have been different.
