Veteran cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Kevin Pietersen weren’t too happy with Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya after he was hit for three sixes by none other than India’s living legend MS Dhoni.
The former India captain hit three consecutive sixes to score 20 runs in just four balls of Hardik Pandya in the final over of the game. This left Gavaskar infuriated who called him an ordinary captain and ordinary bowling.
“Probably the worst kind of bowling that I’ve seen for a long, long time. It almost looks like I’ve had this embrace with my hero. I’ve got a bowling kind of deliveries that he’s gonna hit for sixes,” Gavaskar said.
He continued, “One six was fine, but the second ball again when you know MS Dhoni is a batter and looking for a length ball to hit and third ball again a full toss on the leg side when he is again looking to hit for a six. This was absolutely ordinary bowling, ordinary captaincy. I mean they should have been restricted the way they have did, despite the fact that Ruturaj Gaikwad batted so well along with Shivam Dube,” Gavaskar said.
He further added, “I do believe that they (CSK) should have been restricted to about 180-190 runs.”
Similarly, Kevin Pietersen said, “This evening wasn’t good enough. I saw a captain that had a Plan A from the team meeting, and a captain that didn’t want to go to Plan B when he should have gone. Like, how on this earth have you not bowled a spinner, when your seamers are going for 20. Spinners were needed to change the pace of the game.”
“I actually think with Hardik Pandya, everything away from the game, is affecting him so much. He is smiling too much when he does the toss. He is trying to act like he is so happy. But, he is not happy. I’ve been there. I also have been in the firing line,” Kevin added.
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