"I think we lost a little bit of..."- Hardik Pandya delivers a huge statement after Mumbai's loss

Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Hardik Pandya opened up on the disappointing loss his team suffered in the game against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. He said that they backed themselves to get the last 42 runs but they lost the momentum. 

Mumbai Indians Indians would’ve been absolutely gutted with the way they lost the game against Gujarat Titans. They had the game in their grasp for most of the match but they failed to capitalise the last 5 overs and went on to face a disappointing 6-run loss. 

Mumbai Indians had a great outing with the ball based on a terrific bowling performance from Jasprit Bumrah. The fast bowler returned with figures of 3/14. Gerald Coetzee also delivered a decent performance as well with his 2/27 as they restricted Gujarat Titans to 168-6. 

Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai then started off the chase pretty well even though they lost Ishan Kishan early. Rohit Sharma (43) and Dewald Brevis (46) took the game away from the opposition and it seemed that Mumbai Indians would win the game easily. 

However, in the last 5 overs, they lost wickets in quick succession of time and came under a lot of pressure. Tilak Varma (25), Tim David (11), and Hardik Pandya (11) tried their best but couldn’t take the team past the finishing line as GT emerged victorious by 6 runs.

Hardik Pandya admitted that they lost the momentum in the end and also talked about the fans at the Narendra Modi International Stadium in Ahmedabad. Speaking to broadcasters, he explained: 

“We backed ourselves to chase those 42 runs but it was one of those days when we see the score quite less compared to what it could have been in five overs, I think we lost a little bit of momentum there. 

“It feels good to be back because this is one stadium where you can enjoy and feel the atmosphere quite lively and obviously the crowd was full and they got a good game as well.”

I completely back him – Hardik Pandya on Tilak Varma not giving a strike to Tim David against Rashid Khan 

During Rashid Khan’s over in death, the approach by Mumbai Indians surprised many. Tilak Varma didn’t take the single, denying the strike to Tim David against the leg-spinner. 

Hardik Pandya was asked about the same and replying to that he stated that he backs Tilak Varma and they still have 13 games to go. Speaking about the same, he elaborated: 

“(On Tilak not taking the single vs Rashid) I think Tilak felt that that was a better idea at that point of time, I completely back him, not an issue, 13 games to go.” 

Mumbai Indians will be next seen in action when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday (27th March). They for the 13th consecutive time in the league failed to win their first game of the season. Skipper Hardik Pandya would be hoping to make a strong comeback in the second game of the Indian Premier League.