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RCB vs MI: Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin criticised Hardik Pandya’s captaincy after Mumbai Indians’ (MI) 18-run loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at home. Ashwin wonders whether Pandya went into the fixture without a SWOT analysis of the opposition. He questioned the call to bring in leg-spinner Mayank Markande into the attack against RCB skipper Rajat Patidar who is known for playing well against the spinners. Ashwin went on to show the commentary screenshot of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 game between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and RCB where Patidar hit Markande for four consecutive sixes in an over.
"This SRH vs RCB 2024 game was where Rajat Patidar announced that he is a spin hitter. He was hitting Markande into every corner," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’.
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"There are some common things between these two big overs. The first ball was taken by Virat Kohli, he took a single, and everything else was the same. There he hit four sixes, here he hit three," he pointed out.
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"Rajat Patidar is a monster hitter against spinners. When he came to bat, you gave the ball to Markande straight away? Not the smartest of moves. Very, very average.
"It is very important to understand what Markande thinks. Patidar hit him and washed him in Hyderabad, and here, he hit him from the very first ball again."
Ashwin said that MI spinners were unimpressive against RCB and it turned out to be the difference as Markande conceded 40 runs from his two overs. Also, Mitchell Santner went for 22 runs against Phil Salt in his first over.
"Here, the difference is between 210 and 240. Mayank Markande: two overs, 40 runs. Today, the spinners went for 83 runs total. I think Santner went for 43 as well," Ashwin said.
After Patidar, MI spinners face Iyer challenge
This was MI’s third consecutive loss on the trot. Markande, who was traded from Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for his base price of Rs 30 lakh, is yet to pick up a wicket from three appearances. Pandya has already hinted at changes in the lineup for their next clash against a free-flowing Punjab Kings (PBKS). Like Patidar, Shreyas Iyer knows the conditions well and is known for ripping apart spin attacks in the middle overs.
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