Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya was at his animated best in the game against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The 33rd match of the tournament between the teams took place at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, Chandigarh.
Hardik Pandya, who was sitting outside the boundary ropes while his team was batting, made sure that he applauded every shot that his teammates played. The all-rounder was enjoying his time when Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav were going great guns.
Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav put up an exhibition of high-class batting and made sure that they made up for the loss of Ishan Kishan early on. The duo made sure that Mumbai Indians got past 100 runs with ease and scored runs freely.
Rohit Sharma, however, was through the shot early and the ball went straight up. It was a mishit but the ball sailed over and Sam Curran, who was settling near long-on had no chance. Even Rohit himself couldn’t believe it and had a cheeky laugh with Suryakumar Yadav.
But what caught the attention of many was the reaction of Hardik Pandya. The Mumbai Indians skipper hit himself in jubilation and was delighted that Rohit Sharma got a six for his mishit at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, Chandigarh.
Here’s the video:
— Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka (@Hanji_CricDekho) April 18, 2024
Rohit Sharma played a vital innings with the bat. He ended with a total of 36 runs off 25 balls. The opening batter batted with a strike rate of 144 and also hit 2 fours and 3 sixes in his innings. His knock powered Mumbai Indians to a total of 192 runs and eventually won the game by 9 runs.
A very good game of cricket. Everyone’s nerve got tested – Hardik Pandya’s 9-run win over Punjab Kings
Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Hardik Pandya opened up about the win his team bagged in the game against Punjab Kings. He admitted that they were under pressure but they showed a lot of character. He also lauded Ashutosh Sharma (61) for his sensational effort with the bat and stated that the young batter played an unbelievable knock with the bat. He elaborated:
“Very good game of cricket. Everyone’s nerves got tested. We did speak about before the game that the character will be checked in this game. Naturally, you think you’re ahead in the game. But we knew IPL has a tendency to produce these games. Unbelievable – coming in and playing like that (Ashutosh’s knock).
“Almost every ball hitting the middle. Happy for him and chuffed for his future. We did speak in the timeout that it doesn’t matter how good we look. We’ll keep scrapping in this game. We were quite soft in certain overs. Nevertheless, a win is a win.”
Mumbai Indians will be next seen in action when they take on Rajasthan Royals on Monday (22nd April).
