Hardik Pandya (L) and MS Dhoni© AFP
Legendary Indian cricket team batter Sunil Gavaskar was furious with Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya after he was hit for three consecutive sixes by MS Dhoni during the IPL 2024 match against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday. Hardik was the pick of the MI bowlers with two wickets but he was slammed for 20 runs by Dhoni in the final four balls of the CSK innings. Gavaskar slammed Hardik for his ‘ordinary bowling and ordinary captaincy’ and criticised the kind of deliveries that he produced.
“Probably the worst kind of bowling that I’ve seen for a long, long time. It almost looks like I’ve had this embrace with my hero. I’ve got a bowling kind of deliveries that he’s gonna hit for sixes. One 6 is fine. The next one again a length ball when you know that this batter is looking for a length ball to hit. The third ball again, a full toss on the leg side and he’s looking for it and hits it for a 6. Absolutely ordinary bowling, ordinary captaincy,” Gavaskar said during his analysis in the mid-innings break.
Gavaskar also referred to the interaction that Hardik and Dhoni had just ahead of the match. Hardik ran to Dhoni and hugged the former India skipper in a moment that has gone viral on social media.
Coming to the match, Rohit Sharma’s century went in vain as Mumbai Indians lost to Chennai Super Kings by 20 runs. Rohit played a brilliant knock but the hosts kept losing wickets at regular intervals and an impressive four-wicket haul from Matheesha Pathirana ensured the victory for CSK.
Earlier, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube slammed half-centuries while Dhoni provided a late flourish against Hardik’s bowling to take CSK’s total to 206. Thanks to the victory, CSK remain in the third position while Mumbai Indians are eighth in the competition with just four points from six matches.
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