“He won’t earn his team’s respect,” World Cup winner slams Hardik Pandya for not batting till the end against RR

Hardik Pandya hit 34 off 21, but it was not enough for Irfan Pathan.

“He won’t earn his team’s respect,” World Cup winner slams Hardik Pandya for not batting till the end against RR

Hardik Pandya (Image via ESPN)

On 1st April, Mumbai Indians lost their third match in a row, failing to win a single game so far in the ongoing 2024 IPL. Being sent in to bat first, Mumbai were restricted to 125 as the Rajasthan Royals bowlers ran through their batting line up. They couldn’t defend the score, as the visitors chased down the total in 17 overs. 

Hardik Pandya came in to bat within the powerplay, as MI were 20/4 thanks to three batters going for golden ducks. He played 21 balls and scored 34 runs, finishing as the highest run scorer for his side. 

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Unfortunately, his innings was not enough for Irfan Pathan. Pathan tweeted out that every set batter needed to stay till the end of the innings, something Pandya failed to do. 

Pathan once again called out Pandya for not bowling in the 2nd innings. In another tweet, he said as a leader, Pandya needed to do the “difficult things”. He further claimed Pandya as a leader will never earn his team’s respect unless he does said things and leads from the front.

Irfan Pathan happy Hardik Pandya finally brings Jasprit Bumrah on early

In the first few matches of the 2024 IPL, captain Hardik Pandya did not utilize Jasprit Bumrah with the new ball. It was either him, Kwena Maphaka or Luke Wood using the shiny white ball. Finally Bumrah was given the new ball against Rajasthan Royals. Irfan Pathan was finally happy when Bumrah was given the ball, but believed it only happened because of the low target. 

Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya
Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya (Image via ESPN)

Jasprit Bumrah ended his spell with 26 runs conceded, but did not pick up a single wicket. The highest wicket taker for MI in that innings was Akash Madhwal, who did not play a single match before. MI ended up losing the match, with Pandya not bowling a single over.

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