'If whole team is playing with strike rate of 200, captain can’t bat with 120' - Irfan Pathan criticizes Hardik Pandya's subpar knock against SRH

Mumbai Indians found themselves in quite a mess as Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batters wreaked havoc in the first innings of their clash. It is worth noting that MI and SRH faced off at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad in the eighth game of the IPL 2024 on Wednesday, March 27. 

The first innings saw Hyderabad put in a performance of a lifetime, breaking a longstanding IPL record. The SRH batters combined to post a total of 277 runs in the first innings of the game. 

As Mumbai Indians came out to chase down the mammoth total, the side got off to a good start. Openers Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma scored 35 and 26 runs, respectively. Tilak Varma added 64 runs on the board in 34 deliveries, with Tim David scoring 42* in 22 balls. 

At one point in the game, the chase looked quite possible for the five-time champions. However, it was the knock of skipper Hardik Pandya that seemed to put a dent in MI’s plans. Pandya scored 24 runs in 20 deliveries, maintaining a strike rate of 120.

The same knock did not sit well with former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan. Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), Pathan tweeted that the skipper cannot be playing with a strike rate of 120 with such a mammoth target to chase. 

“If the whole team is playing with the strike of 200, Captain can’t bat with the batting strike rate of 120,” Pathan tweeted.

Mumbai Indians face two losses in two matches

Speaking of Mumbai Indians, the side has gotten off to a horrid start to their IPL 2024 campaign. Taking on Gujarat Titans in their first game of the season, Mumbai fell short, losing their first game, and it seems that the story has not changed. 

Losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad by 31 runs, Mumbai registered their second loss in their second game and currently sit in ninth place in the standings with zero points in two matches. 

The side will hope to do better as they return to the Wankhede Stadium for their next game when they take on Rajasthan Royals in the 14th game of the tournament on Monday, April 1.