Modified Apr 17, 2023 00:33 IST
Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Hardik Pandya made some questionable bowling changes in their side’s defeat to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Ahmedabad on Sunday. These bowling changes probably cost them the game as the Royals pulled off an incredible chase with three wickets in hand.
At one stage, GT were right on top with RR needing a staggering 112 runs from 48 balls. However, Sanju Samson launched a counter-attack first, and then it was the turn of Shimron Hetmyer to show why he is rated highly as a finisher.
Despite having two overs of Mohit Sharma up his sleeve, Hardik Pandya decided to give the final over to spinner Noor Ahmed and that proved to be a wrong move. Fans on Twitter trolled Hardik and the GT management for not backing Mohit, who had conceded just 7 runs in his two overs and was supposed to be their death-overs specialist.
Here are some of the reactions:
He deserved to lose the Match.
Ashish Nehra and Hardik pandya before selecting a spinner to bowl the last over when fast bowlers are available.
Hardik bro thought he is MS Dhoni and gave it to spinner 🤣🤣🤣
Hardik blud actually badly wants to be Dhoni.
Hardik pandya the captain prepared for Jos buttler but Ashwin Anna came out of syllabus
I’m curious about Hardik Pandya’s decision to go with other bowlers instead of Mohit Sharma, who was clearly their standout bowler today. No matter what angle you approach it from, this decision cannot be defended.
Sanju Samson’s RR finally managed to defeat Hardik Pandya’s GT in the IPL
Last year, RR lost all their three games to GT, including the final and would have been hungry to prove a point. The visitors got off to a horrible start to their chase, having already lost two wickets for just four runs inside three overs.
However, captain Sanju Samson then joined Devdutt Padikkal at the crease as the duo gradually began to up the ante. Samson took Rashid Khan to the cleaners and it felt like he would take the game away from Gujarat.
While Samson was dismissed by debutant Noor Ahmed, Shimron Hetmyer held his nerve until the end and ensured Rajasthan got over the line in the final over. Hardik Pandya and Co. may now look back at their decision not to bowl Mohit Sharma at the death.
