“Are Hardik Pandya and Tim David that bad?”: Virender Sehwag angers MI, demands serious action

Former Indian batsman Virender Sehwag questioned Mumbai Indians’ (MI) tactics during their 24-run defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their IPL 2024 match on Friday. Chasing 170 under par, Mumbai lost wickets at regular intervals and were eventually bowled out for 145 from 18.5 overs at the Wankhede Stadium. Analyzing the match, Sehwag said he was “perplexed” by captain Hardik Pandya and Tim David coming in 7th and 8th in the line-up respectively. Sehwag also asked a similar question to KKR after star all-rounder Andre Russell batted down the order.

“KKR saved Andre Russell; he played just two balls. Mumbai Indians saved Hardik Pandya and Tim David. What did you achieve by doing that? There were a lot of deliveries left and they all got out. You could have come earlier, or maybe you could have finished the game early too. I don’t know what happens to them when they chase… Hardik Pandya at seven and Tim David at 8. I just don’t understand what they did is it bad for them to leave if they come early?” Sehwag said Cricbuzz.

Sehwag also criticized Hardik for batting up the MI order and pointed out how the all-rounder used to bat in the Gujarat Titans’ top order. He added that MI owners should take serious action against the players and management.

“Hardik Pandya hit 4 consistently when he was captain of GT. What happened here? It baffles me that the experienced players are so low.

“I am perplexed by this. The management needs to take strict action with the players and ask them what is going on. Or the players should talk about why their batting positions have been changed. The captain, the batting coach, the bowling and support staff are at fault here. The owners need to ask rigorous questions,” he added.

Speaking about the defeat, Hardik said after the game that his team failed to form the necessary partnerships and there are a lot of questions that will take time to be answered, but he doesn’t have much to say at the moment.

“I mean obviously in the batting innings we haven’t been able to form partnerships and we keep losing wickets, in T20s if you don’t form partnerships it’s going to cost you. answer, but for now there is not much to say,” Pandya said in a post-match presentation.