After Mumbai Indians lost their third successive game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, the pressure on captain Hardik Pandya surged even further. Captaining the franchise for the first time this season, Hardik hasn't had the kind of start he or the Mumbai Indians' fans were hoping for. With three defeats in as many matches played, the Mumbai Indians are stationed at the bottom of the points table.
Moreover, Hardik has been targeted by fans across all three stadiums Mumbai has played so far this season, including their home ground Wankhede Stadium.
Hardik has received immense support from former cricketers amidst the challenging times and former Mumbai Indians batter Ambati Rayudu came to Hardil's aid after the the franchise's third defeat.
Ambati Rayudu consoles Hardik Pandya
In a video that is doing rounds across social media platforms, Ambati Rayudu can be seen consoling Hardik Pandya in the Mumbai Indians dugout. While Hardik sat alone in the dugout, Rayudu gave a pep talk to the Mumbai Indians.
Watch the video here:
What did Hardik say after Mumbai's latest defeat?
After Mumbai Indians were comprehensively beaten by the Rajasthan Royals on April 1 (Monday), Hardik urged his players to be more disciplined and show courage.
"Yes, a tough night, we didn't start the way we wanted to start. I wanted to counter, we were in a decent position to get us around 150-160, but my wicket allowed them to get back more into the game, I needed to do a lot more," Hardik told the broadcasters.
"It's okay, we didn't expect such a surface, but you can't always have it as a batter, it's nice at times for the bowlers to have a say. It's all about doing the right things, (correct) results happen at times, at some other times it doesn't. As a group, we believe we can do a lot better, but we need to be a bit more disciplined and show a lot more courage," he added.ย
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