NEW DELHI: Following a record-breaking affair between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Wednesday, the losing side witnessed a powerful pep talk, with
Sachin Tendulkar
and
Hardik Pandya
holding onto the centre stage in the MI dressing room.
Despite MI suffering a 31-run defeat at the hands of SRH in a record-breaking encounter where a staggering total of 523 runs were scored, Tendulkar and Pandya's words echoed resilience and determination.
Tendulkar, in his pep talk, highlighted MI's commendable batting performance and emphasized the importance of sticking together as a team during tougher moments.
"In the second half, despite conceding 277, nobody knew who was the clear winner 10 overs down the line. The game was very much open. The target was very much achievable. That's a clear sign that we've batted really well. So, let's stick together. There are gonna be tougher moments. We will stick together as a group and pull through," said Tendulkar.
Watch the video of the pep talk here:
Echoing Tendulkar's sentiments, Pandya praised the team's resilience and camaraderie, emphasizing their strength as a unit.
"Toughest soldiers get the toughest test. And we are the toughest team in the competition. Anyone who could've come even close to where we reached as a batting group or just overall Mumbai Indians is us. I am very proud of our bowlers. Even though the day was tough, I didn't see anyone running away. Everyone wanted the ball. And I think that is a good sign. So let us help each other throughout. Whatever happens, we will manage it together, and we will be together," Pandya asserted.
Hyderabad Sunrisers set a monumental target of 277/3, the highest total in IPL history, propelled by an electrifying unbeaten knock of 80 runs off 34 balls by
Heinrich Klaasen
, complemented by stellar performances from Travis Head and
Abhishek Sharma
.
MI's top-order batsmen displayed aggression in the run-chase, with
Rohit Sharma
and Ishan Kishan contributing to a formidable start. However, SRH's bowling attack, led by skipper
Pat Cummins
and Jaydev Unadkat, tightened the screws in the latter half of the innings, restricting MI to 246/5.
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