'Maybe he didn't want to face Rashid Khan' - Irfan Pathan not impressed with Hardik Pandya's calls against Gujarat Titans

The 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) clash between the Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians lived up to the hype, with GT edging out MI by six runs in a thriller. However, the match was marred by some questionable decisions from new MI captain Hardik Pandya, which drew criticism from former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan.

Chasing 169 for victory, MI faltered in the final overs despite a blazing start from Rohit Sharma and Naman Dhir. Hardik surprisingly chose to send Tim David ahead of himself to face ace spinner Rashid Khan. Irfan Pathan was perplexed by Hardik's decision.

"When they were chasing, they sent Tim David higher up the order. He sent Tim David when Rashid Khan had an over left. I felt Hardik Pandya maybe didn't want to face Rashid Khan after having not played cricket for a long time. This could be the case. I won't agree with the fact that there was an experienced Indian batter sitting in the dressing room and sending an overseas player under pressure against Rashid. They missed a trick there," said Pathan.

Also read: Rohit Sharma scolds Hardik Pandya after match as Akash Ambani reacts, video goes viral

Pandya's decision to persist with himself despite conceding runs and delaying Bumrah's introduction to the attack also proved costly for Mumbai Indians. In contrast, Bumrah's late entry brought success. Pathan also spoke about Hardik's bowling decisions, stating he made a mistake by bowling himself for two overs in the powerplay. This allowed GT to get off to a flyer, with Hardik conceding 11 runs in the first over and failing to take a wicket. 

"Hardik Pandya made big mistakes in the match. In the powerplay, he bowled two overs himself, that was a big mistake. He brought Jasprit Bumrah into the attack a bit late," said Pathan.

Also read: Brian Lara's dig at Hardik Pandya leaves Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bishop in splits

GT's batting heroics from Sai Sudharsan (45 off 39) and a cameo from Rahul Tewatia (22 off 15) powered them to 168/6. Jasprit Bumrah's 3/14 was the only standout performance from the MI bowlers. In response, Rohit's 43 and Dewald Brevis' 46 kept MI in the hunt before the middle order collapsed to lose the match eventually.