Already under fire from fans after replacing Rohit Sharma as skipper, he will have to turn things around against RR
Hardik Pandya has had no time to settle down as the new Mumbai Indians captain. Two defeats in two games has not been an ideal start and the negative reaction from the crowd at replacing the popular Rohit Sharma has not helped his confidence.
Hardik Pandya will play first match at Wankhede Stadium on return to Mumbai Indians.(ANI)
MI play their first home game of the season against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday, and it’ll be interesting to see what the reception will be for the all-rounder.
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For IPL on the whole such sub-plots are good value to attract eye-balls, but for the player and the team management the script hasn’t gone as per the plan. In MI’s tournament opener, the Ahmedabad crowd came down heavily on their former captain who had left to rejoin MI. The Hyderabad crowd also gave Pandya the treatment in the second game against Sunrisers Hyderabad where his bowlers conceding an IPL record total added to the misery.
Also Read | GT’s Mohit Sharma ‘slows down’ SRH to set up victory
Pandya’s bigger test will be on Monday. Given the importance of home support, the team management will be hoping the game goes well for him. If it doesn’t, he will have a tough time this season because he will have to play most of the matches at the Wankhede.
Spinner Piyush Chawla hoped the loyal MI fans will stick with the team. “At the end of the day it is about the team, not about the individuals, I am really hoping when the crowd comes in tomorrow they will really support the team, especially after the (tough) start we have had. Hopefully all the loyal MI fans will come and support us,” he said at the pre-match media conference.
More than individual popularity, it is about the results. If MI start winning, the heat on Pandya will ease. In defeat, any false move gets magnified. Against GT, Mumbai were in control of the chase but lost the plot in the last five overs. Pandya’s bowling changes came under criticism against SRH. His decision to use spearhead Jasprit Bumrah for one over in the powerplay and then holding him back until the 13th over against SRH backfired as the hosts rattled a record 277/3.
The experts are not sure the captain should be opening the bowling. In 92 matches when he was not the captain, he opened the bowling just six times. As captain in 33 games, he has opened the bowling 17 times.
“Most of the time we have seen Bumrah bowl one over in the powerplay and one odd in the middle and then a couple at the death. That day (vs SRH) things were a little different, at that particular time what your captain feels what is best for the team, he (Pandya) was doing that.
“It is just that most of the bowlers from both teams went for runs. The surface was like that. We can’t say it has to do with the bowling changes, it just didn’t work out,” said Chawla.
His decision to bat lower down the order has also not clicked. When you have taken over from a highly successful captain like Rohit, comparisons are inevitable. The leg-spinner said: “Everyone is different, Rohit has a different way of leading the side, Hardik has a different way. As we all know, Hardik is one of the successful captains coming from GT where they made two finals in two years.”
In the face of the backlash, Pandya has maintained good body language and Chawla said he is not affected by it. “He is just focused on the game, he is not worried what the crowd is doing. And once we get a win, things will be totally different.”
Trent Boult, Rajasthan Royals’ ace pace bowler who has played with Hardik at MI, felt as a professional, the MI captain will be able to deal with the backlash.
“It is something you cannot control, as professional sportspeople it is what you are exposed to in a way. You have to block out the white noise and focus on the job, (though) it is easier said than done.
“There is a lot of passionate fans in this country. Speaking of Hardik specifically, he is one of my favourite Indian cricketers and I do not think the booing will hold out for too long. I am sure he is one of those guys who can put it aside and focus on the job.”
