IPL 2024: Sunil Gavaskar Criticizes Hardik Pandya’s Last Over Bowling and Captaincy

The Mumbai Indians faced a tough defeat against their long-standing rivals, the Chennai Super Kings, in a recent IPL match. Despite putting up a decent scoring rate, Mumbai’s skipper, Hardik Pandya, came under scrutiny for his performance in the final over, which cost the team dearly. Until the final over of the innings, CSK had managed to score only 180 runs, with MS Dhoni yet to bat. However, Mumbai’s decision to entrust the final over to Hardik Pandya proved costly. Pandya, taking the responsibility upon himself, conceded 20 runs in the over, including three consecutive sixes by MS Dhoni, helping CSK reach a total beyond 200 runs.

Sunil Gavaskar’s Criticism:
Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar expressed disappointment with Pandya’s strategy and execution in the final over during the post-match analysis. He criticized Pandya for his poor performance, highlighting key moments where Pandya’s bowling lacked precision and effectiveness.

Gavaskar commented, “One six is fine, but then another length ball, when you know the batsman is looking for that length to hit, and the third ball, a full-toss on the leg side when he’s aiming for a six.”

Missed Opportunities and Gavaskar’s Insights:
Despite the promising partnership between Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube in the middle overs, Gavaskar believes that Mumbai Indians should have restricted CSK to a lower total. He emphasized the need for better bowling and captaincy decisions to capitalize on key moments in the game. Gavaskar added, “The bowling was ordinary, the captaincy was ordinary. They should have restricted CSK. Ruturaj Gaikwad batted well along with Shivam Dube, but still, I believe CSK should have been restricted to 185-190.” Mumbai Indians currently occupy the eighth position on the points table, with four points from six games and only two wins. Their next match is against the Punjab Kings at the Mullanpur Stadium in Mohali on April 18th.