Tim David attempted a strike in the 17th over of the Gujarat Titans run-chase, but Mumbai Indians hitter Tilak Varma stopped him. When questioned afterward, Hardik Pandya shared his thoughts on the choice.
Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya stated after his team’s six-run defeat to the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) opener that he supports hitter Tilak Varma’s choice to give hard-hitting Tim David a hit instead of taking that single off Rashid Khan, even though it might have cost them the match. MI lost the opening game of the tournament by a small margin despite a stand of 77 runs between Rohit Sharma and Dewald Brevis. Tilak’s choice to fire runs against the spinner rather than David in the 17th over, rather than taking a single against Rashid Khan, was a pivotal move that determined the game’s outcome.
Hardik stated, “Obviously we backed ourselves to chase those runs but it was one of those days when we see the score quite less compared to what it could have been in five overs, I think we lost little bit of momentum there,” during the post-match press conference. Coming back to this stadium is a welcome experience, since the atmosphere is lively and enjoyable. The game was well-played, and the crowd was full. I fully support Tilak; there are still 13 games left. (Regarding Tilak declining the single versus Rashid) I believe Tilak thought that was a better decision at that point in time.”
MI decided to bowl first going into the game. Jasprit Bumrah (3/14) and Gerald Coetzee (2/27) largely silenced Gujarat Titans, who found it difficult to score runs at a good clip. In 20 overs, GT reached 168/6 thanks to contributions from Sai Sudharsan (45 in 39 balls, three fours and a six), captain Shubman Gill (31 in 22 balls, three fours and a six), and Rahul Tewatia (22 in 15 balls, two fours and a six).
MI lost Ishan Kishan (0-0) and Naman Dhir (20 in 10 balls, including a four and a six) early in the chase for 169, falling to 30/2. But MI were back in the game thanks to a 77-run partnership between Dewald Brevis (46 in 38 balls, with two fours and three sixes) and Rohit Sharma (43 in 29 balls, seven fours and a six). Pacers Spencer Johnson (2/25), Mohit Sharma (2/32) and Umesh Yadav (2/31) were outstanding in the final overs, causing MI to be six runs short. On MI comeback, Hardik Pandya could only muster 11 runs in four balls.
‘Player of the Match’ went to Sai Sudarshan.
