DC vs MI: 'Criticize Hardik Pandya for scoring 10 runs off 10 balls' - Aakash Chopra tears MI captain to shreds for this blunder

Former Indian cricketer-turned-commentator, Aakash Chopra, expressed his surprise at Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Hardik Pandya's batting position against Rajasthan Royals (RR) during their IPL 2024 clash at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on April 22.

The cricket expert further questioned why the all-rounder bats lower down the order for the Mumbai Indians (MI), saying this decision is strange and wrong as Pandya's batting style is best suited at the top of the batting order. He claimed that Pandya's strengths lie in aggressive batting, where he can quickly accumulate runs, rather than playing a consolidating role.

Hence, Chopra feels it is unfair to criticize Pandya for scoring 10 runs off 10 balls while batting at number 8 during the Mumbai Indians’ (MI) 9-wicket loss to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the 38th game of the ongoing IPL 2024 since that batting position doesn't align with his style and approach.

Aakash Chopra questions Hardik Pandya's batting position vs RR

Aakash Chopra said in a video posted on his YouTube Channel: “Why does Hardik Pandya bring himself so low in the order - I have no clue because he is doing wrong. You can criticize him for scoring 10 runs off 10 balls but I believe you are coming at the wrong number. Hardik Pandya is not the kind of batter who scores 30 runs off 10 balls.”

He further highlighted Pandya's batting style, saying he is capable of accelerating after a slow start, and he should be given more opportunities higher up the batting order to maximize his potential impact for the MI in the ongoing IPL 2024.

Chopra added, “Hardik Pandya is the kind of batter who, if he scored 10 runs off 10 balls at the start, can score 75 off 40 after that. He will have to give himself time. He will have to come up the order, which he is not doing. I feel the resources could have been utilized slightly better. He pushed himself too low, which, in my opinion, wasn't a great thing to do.”

They didn't have a good start: Aakash Chopra

In the end, Aakash Chopra highlighted the significance of a strong start while batting first after winning the toss. However, Mumbai Indians (MI) faced early setbacks as both their openers were dismissed early, with Rohit Sharma falling to Trent Boult for just 6 and Ishan Kishan to Sandeep Sharma for 0 in the IPL 2024 match.

Despite these setbacks, there were commendable performances from players like Tilak Varma, who scored a half-century, and Nehal Wadhera (49) against the Royals in Jaipur.

Mohammad Nabi (23) also made a valuable contribution with the bat, and Chopra noted that these performances helped the MI to regain momentum, with the possibility of reaching a score of 200 runs at one point.

However, the five-time IPL champions fell short of this target, primarily due to a lack of runs scored in the last two overs, and those were only nine runs, and the tourists suffered a massive defeat against RR on Monday.

They will next face the Delhi Capitals (DC) on April 27 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in the tournament.