Mumbai Indians suffered another defeat under the leadership of Hardik Pandya as Rajasthan Royals secured their likely progression into the IPL 2024 playoffs with a dominant 9-wicket victory. Hardik, who has faced scrutiny since taking over the captaincy from Rohit Sharma, acknowledged the team’s shortcomings across batting, bowling, and fielding departments. With mistakes proving costly in crucial matches, Hardik emphasized the need to acknowledge and address these flaws to improve Mumbai Indians’ performance in the remainder of the tournament.
“We put ourselves in trouble early on. The way Tilak and Nehal batted – that was fantastic. I don’t think that when we lost a couple of wickets early we thought we would even reach 180. We didn’t finish well and that’s why we were 10-15 runs short. We had to keep it within the stumps (while bowling). Early on in the powerplay, we gave a lot of width and I don’t think it was our best day in the field as well. Overall, we did not put the right foot in the park and eventually, they outplayed us,” Hardik stated in the post-match presentation ceremony.
Hardik Pandya maintains a collective approach towards addressing performance issues within the team, refraining from singling out individual players for discussions. Despite certain individuals yet to hit their stride this season, Hardik trusts in the professionalism of his players and their ability to recognize and rectify their own mistakes. By fostering a culture of self-accountability, the Mumbai Indians captain aims to encourage players to take ownership of their performances and strive for improvement collectively.
“After the game, it’s not the right time to go to the players, everyone is professional, they know their roles. What we can do is learn from this game and the mistakes which we have made, rectify it and make sure that we don’t make it. Progression is very important. Within the team, individually, we will have to accept our flaws and maybe work on those,” he explained.
Despite Mumbai Indians suffering their fifth loss in eight matches, Hardik Pandya maintains faith in the squad that has been assembled. He indicated a reluctance to make significant changes to the playing XI as the franchise enters a crucial phase of the campaign. Emphasizing continuity and confidence in the existing lineup, Hardik appears determined to rally the team together for the challenges ahead in the IPL.
“I don’t believe much in chip and chop, I like to back players and the focus would always be to play good cricket, sticking to our plans and making sure that we don’t make the basic errors. Cricket is simple, as long as we keep it simple, it’s nice,” he concluded.
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