Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya at the coin toss against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) accepted the mistakes he made in their season opener against Gujarat Titans (GT). Hardik faced widespread criticism for some of his decisions as captain, especially demoting himself in the run chase.
“We are going to bowl first. Looks like a good track, we were solid in the last game. Didn't plan properly, that cost us the game,” Hardik said after winning the toss.
A few videos surfaced where it seemed that Jasprit Bumrah and former MI skipper Rohit Sharma were unhappy with his decisions. Hardik said he spent time with the team and is looking forward to the challenge after a six-run defeat to his former franchise.
“13 games to go, we need to keep doing the right things. We are positive and looking forward to the challenge. Just trying to spend time with all the players. Getting to know them better,” The 30-year-old added.
After just one game, he made one change in the bowling department. England left-arm pacer Luke Wood who conceded 25 runs from two overs in his debut Indian Premier League (IPL) game made way for 17-year-old left-arm pacer Kwena Maphaka.
Meanwhile, the boos followed Hardik from Ahmedabad to Hyderabad as well. However, he did not respond to the crowd and maintained a smile on his face.
Pollard backs captain Hardik
Earlier, MI batting coach Kieron Pollard had backed Hardik’s decisions in the opening game. Pollard said that the decision to bat at no.7 was not just his but the team management as well.
"No decision is made on full autonomy, so we can't say it is his decision. As a team, we have plans; we talk about setting entry points for batters. The top order batted deep into the game, and we also had two power hitters to go in the back end.
"Usually, if you look at it over time, Tim (David) has finished games for us, and Hardik has done it over the years,” Pollard said at the post-match press conference.
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