IPL 2024: Hardik Pandya Reflects on MI’s Loss to DC: ‘We Could’ve Been More Aggressive

Mumbai Indians put up a spirited performance against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium where the visitors chased around 258 but fell short by a margin of 10 runs. A big positive for MI will be if Hardik Pandya gets his bat right as he smashed a quick 46 off 24 balls and also partnered with Tilak Verma to get the visiting side’s chase on track. Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Hardik revealed that despite having a huge score to chase, his side backed themselves to get the job done. “This game is getting closer and closer. The difference was two overs earlier, now it is becoming two balls. Due to the nature of the game and how the bowlers are under pressure, we backed ourselves to do that,” said the all-rounder.

As for their shortcomings, Hardik believes his side could have used some matchups in their favour. He chose the example of Akshar Patel as a left-hander. The MI skipper added, “If I had to pick something, we could have taken two more chances in the middle overs. The left-handers may have gone behind Axar for a while, which is something we have missed in terms of game awareness”.

Pandya also praised the explosive innings of DC’s young batting sensation, Jack Fraser-McGurk, who scored 84 off just 27 balls in the first innings to set the platform for DC to post a 250+ score. “The way he (Fraser-McGurk) batted was fantastic, he took calculated risks, and he fielded well. It shows the fearlessness of youth,” Pandya concluded. Chances will be reduced but the team will be optimistic with a lot of performances, notably Tilak Verma and Tim David who contributed their fair share to bring the team closer to completing the huge run-chase. The team will focus on their next task which is an away game against Lucknow Super Giants on April 30 at Ekana Sports City, Lucknow.