South African great Dale Steyn takes dig at Hardik Pandya with his ‘lose, smile, and repeat that nonsense’ tweet?

Dale Steyn wanted players to speak more honestly.

South African great Dale Steyn takes dig at Hardik Pandya with his ‘lose, smile, and repeat that nonsense’ tweet?

Dale Steyn and Hardik Pandya (Images via Imago and ESPN)

Dale Steyn claimed many captains in the IPL are too diplomatic and not honest. This tweet came after the Mumbai Indians (MI) loss to Rajasthan Royals (RR). He called for captains to speak out their mind. 

After the loss to RR, Hardik Pandya spoke about where they lost the match. The MI captain spoke diplomatically about the loss. He said things many captains say after a loss, refusing to speak out his mind and speaking safe. 

YouTube video

This irked out Dale Steyn, who slammed captains for not speaking out their minds. He accused captains of “dumbing down” and speaking safely.  

A fan commented on how the captain could talk honestly in the dressing room, but Steyn disagreed. He claimed the dressing room was for the kits and the press was for honesty. 

 

Hardik Pandya says team needs to accept their flaws 

After the loss to RR, Hardik Pandya spoke about where his team lost the match. He credited Nehal Wadhera and Tilak Varma for their innings, but thought they finished with 10-15 runs less. 

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

Pandya also stated how poorly the team bowled and fielded during the powerplay, giving space to Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal. He admitted that MI were outplayed, but the team needed to learn from the game and trust the process. 

Progression is very important. Within the team, individually, we will have to accept our flaws and maybe work on those. I don't believe much in chip and chop, I like to back players and the focus would always be to play good cricket, sticking to our plans and making sure that we don't make the basic errors.
Hardik Pandya in the post-match presentation

MI will now play Delhi Capitals on 27th April in the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Both teams are currently tied on points, with six each. The two can still qualify for the play-offs, but the chances are slim. 

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