'We're trying to do what's best for him' - Mahela Jayawardene on Hardik Pandya not bowling for MI in IPL 2021

Mumbai Indians (MI) are not having a great time in the second leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the UAE. Their in-form players haven’t been performing and have won only a solitary game in four outings in the UAE leg of the tournament. Even against the Punjab Kings (PBKS), in the chase, they were stuttering at one stage before Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya took them home.

But the form of Suryakumar Yadav at number three and Hardik Pandya not bowling remains a concern for the team. However, MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene is not worried about both of them. Talking about Hardik, he stated that they are looking after him very carefully and doing what’s good for the all-rounder. Pandya has played only two matches out of four so far in the second leg.

“We’re trying to do what’s best for Hardik, going forward. Whether he can bowl or not in the IPL is something we will have to look at,” Jayawardene said in a virtual press conference.

Not a huge concern, Mahela on Surya’s form

Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav isn’t having a great time with the bat and there are concerns over his form with T20 World Cup to follow after the IPL. He has so far scored 3, 5, 8 and 0 in this leg but Mahela Jaywardene is not much worried about his form. According to Mahela, Yadav has to spend some more time in the middle and soon things will be fine for him.

“Surya just needs to spend some time in the middle to get his confidence back. But it’s not a huge concern,” Jayawardene further added. Mumbai Indians, after three losses in the four games in the UAE leg, are left to win all their remaining matches in order to make it to the playoffs.

Citing the same, the former Sri Lanka cricketer said that a poor start has led to them being in this situation. “We didn’t start well. You can’t make mistakes when you play against quality opposition,” he said.