Netizens say ‘Ashish Nehra was the real captain of GT’ and not Hardik Pandya after MI’s defeat

Mumbai Indians have lost their first game of the season for the 12th time consecutively.

Netizens say ‘Ashish Nehra was the real captain of GT’ and not Hardik Pandya after MI’s defeat

Gujarat Titans celebrate as they beat Mumbai Indians (Image via IPL)

On 24th March, Mumbai Indians continued their long standing tradition of losing their first match of the season. Since 2013, the team failed to win their IPL openers, going 12 seasons without a win. 

This time there were many changes to the team. MI now had a new captain, Hardik Pandya, who had replaced Rohit Sharma before the start of the season. In his first match, he led MI against his old side, Gujarat Titans. 

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Electing to field first, MI restricted GT to 168 runs. Jasprit Bumrah was the pick of the bowlers, picking up four wickets and conceding only 14 runs. Sai Sudharsan was the high scorer, with 45 runs on board. 

Chasing a relatively small target, many expected a win for MI, but things did not go according to plan. They lost Ishan Kishan and Naman Dhir in the powerplay.

Rohit Sharma and Dewald Brewis scored vital 40s, but were dismissed in an important part of the chase. From needing 48 in six overs, MI needed 19. Pandya, who had demoted himself to number 8, hit two boundaries before being dismissed, with GT winning the match. 

Fans call for Rohit Sharma to return after season’s first loss

After the end of the match, many fans called for Rohit Sharma to return as captain. They were unimpressed with Pandya’s performance as captain and called for Sharma to be reinstated. Others praised GT head coach, Ashish Nehra, for coaching the side despite having a new captain. 

Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma (Image via IPL)

Check out their reactions: 

https://twitter.com/hardy0_9/status/1771961579212333148?s=20

Mumbai Indians will now play Hyderabad on 27th March against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Meanwhile Gujarat Titans will face Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk on 26th March. 

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