MUMBAI: The IPL season is shaping up to be a tumultuous one for
Hardik Pandya
, with the Mumbai Indians captain facing a barrage of challenges both on and off the field.
The five-time champions suffered a stinging defeat at the hands of arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings on Sunday, with much of the blame resting on captain Pandya’s shoulders for bowling a poor final over to MS Dhoni in which the MI skipper was smashed for 26 runs, including three successive sixes.
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Other questionable tactics employed by Pandya that allowed CSK batters to run away with the game were criticized by
Sunil Gavaskar
and
Kevin Pietersen
on air. While Gavaskar pointed out how Pandya repeatedly erred in hitting the right lengths while bowling the last over, Pietersen criticized Pandya for not showing faith in his spinners when Shivam Dube was batting.
On Sunday night, Pandya refused to try bowling spin to Dube, even as Mohammad Nabi (3-0-19-0) and Shreyas Gopal (1-0-9-1) had bowled well while the seamers were taken to the cleaners by Dube,
Ruturaj Gaikwad
and Dhoni.
However, MI still have faith in Pandya’s powers. Post MI’s latest defeat, batting coach
Kieron Pollard
showed that he and the team had plenty of sympathy for Pandya.
"You're going to have those days. He (Pandya) is a confident guy. He has been great around the group. In cricket, you have good days and you have bad days. I'm seeing an individual who's working bloody hard to continue his skill and to ply his trade," Pollard said.
"I hope that when he comes out on top, I'll sit back and watch everyone sing his praises." Pollard has seen Pandya's rapid growth and evolution from close quarters. "As an individual, you have to evolve. When you're young and there's youthful exuberance, you go out and you do things in a certain manner. But the older you get, accountability to the team sort of kicks in," Pollard said.
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