Former India pacer Irfan Pathan was highly critical of the Mumbai captain. He believes Hardik is trying to do what’s easy and shying away from doing what’s difficult to achieve. That won’t earn him respect from teammates, he said.

“I thought Mumbai Indians were still a good team on paper, but they are being managed badly at the moment. If Hardik Pandya doesn’t show good form, he’ll become a weak link for the team. I’m more worried because he’s taking his hitting abilities down. It’s a matter of concern,” said former India pacer Irfan Pathan.

“It’s not good for the Indian team either. He seems to be trying comfortable ways to get back to form. He’ll never be able to win the respect of the team if he continues to do that. When other batters are performing well, he’s coming to bat at number 3. Here (when Mumbai batters are struggling), he’s sending players like Nehal Wadhera and Mohammad Nabi ahead of himself. He’s not going in to do what’s difficult for the team. If you want to earn respect from teammates, you’ll have to do what’s difficult,” he added.

Former South African cricketer Kevin Pietersen said it was a “shame” that Hardik Pandya got Gerald Coetzee to bowl in the 16th over when his raw pace had troubled Jaiswal in the fourth over.

Netizens slam Hardik Pandya

Netizens slammed Pandya all over again as he failed to perform. A meme fest started on social media. Pandya decided to bowl the first over again despite having Jasprit Bumrah, arguably the best bowler in the world, in the squad.

“Today top order failed, it was the best chance to make an impression with the bat but this guy did not stepped in. I have never seen more coward man than har Pandya [sic’,” wrote one user on social media.

“If there is a poll for worst captain with IPL title, pandya would top it with a huge margin. Completely clueless [sic],” wrote another.

Given his current form, some fans demanded that the BCCI should not include Hardik Pandya in the T20 World Cup squad.

“Terrible batting by Pandya, Humble request from bcci replace dube inplace of him for T20 world cup [sic],” came from one user.

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Published: 23 Apr 2024, 08:48 AM IST