IPL 2024: "You're not Dhoni.." Mohammed Shami slams Hardik Pandya as he bottles chase vs GT

Hardik Pandya made his debut for MI as captain and lost his first match at the helm.

Amidst all of the emphasis on the Mumbai Indians (MI) following the Rohit Sharma era and Hardik Pandya‘s return, the Gujarat Titans (GT) put on a brilliant performance at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 24 in IPL 2024.

At one point in the chase, Mumbai needed only 43 runs from the last five overs with seven wickets in hand. However, the script turned out to be different for the visitors, with GT bowlers dealing out eight dot balls and picking up six wickets – nearly three run-free overs – to enable the team to secure a six-run victory.

The sole reason for Mumbai’s defeat was Hardik’s batting strategy, as players such as Irfan Pathan, Manoj Tiwary, and Mohammed Shami blasted the captain’s decision to bat at No. 7 in the line-up, despite his batting positions of No. 3 and 4 in the previous two IPL seasons with Gujarat.

Hardik Pandya made 11 runs in 4 balls, hitting a four and a six before being dismissed by Umesh Yadav in the final over.

You cannot match someone else: Mohammed Shami slams Hardik Pandya for trying to be a finisher like MS Dhoni

Speaking on Cricbuzz about MI’s batting strategy, Shami, who played under Hardik in the last two seasons for Gujarat, was asked if the all-rounder was looking to follow the Dhoni template of managing things single-handedly in the final stages of the chase, and the veteran India fast bowler chastised the 30-year-old for not believing in his abilities.

“Dhoni is Dhoni. You cannot match someone else. Everyone has a different mindset, whether it is Dhoni or Kohli. You should stay in the game depending on your skill. You batted at No. 3 and 4 in the last two seasons. You are used to that position. You can at the most bat at No. 5, but not at No. 7,” said Shami.

Manoj Tiwary, a member of the panel, was “baffled” to see Hardik bat at No. 7, but believes it was a choice taken by MI mentor Sachin Tendulkar, who theorized the difference between the Mumbai and Gujarat dugouts.

“I feel it wasn’t his call. In Gujarat, I feel, only two people were running the game, Hardik and Nehra. In Mumbai dugout there are some big names present. So probably they might have influenced him to drop down the order because they have invested a lot on 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.

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