Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag criticized Mumbai Indians’ strategy during their recent game against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Virender Sehwag questioned the team’s tactics, Hardik Pandya and Tim David in to send down the batting order.
The Knight Riders managed to bat first and score a total of 169 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday, May 3. The visiting team recovered from a challenging position of 57/5. Venkatesh Iyer and Manish Pandey added a crucial 83-run partnership for the sixth wicket.
The Mumbai team lost five wickets for 70 runs by the 11th over before Hardik Pandya came to the crease. Tim David joined the batting line-up at the No. 8 position as the team posted a score of 71/6. The home team were bowled out for 145 runs in 20 overs, registering their eighth defeat of the current season.
You could have come earlier – Virender Sehwag
On Cricbuzz, Virender Sehwag stated that Hardik Pandya and Tim David could have made a difference if they had batted earlier in the game. Sehwag asked why experienced players fall so far behind and highlighted Hardik Pandya’s No. 4 position for the Gujarat Titans (GT).
“Mumbai Indians saved Hardik Pandya and Tim David. What have you achieved with this? “
“I don’t know what will happen to them if they go after…Hardik Pandya at seven and Tim David at eight. I just don’t understand what they did. “Are these players so bad that if they come in early, they’ll get out?” Sehwag told Cricbuzz.
“Hardik Pandya fought consistently with 4 strokes as GT captain. What happened here? It amazed me that the experienced players were so far down.” he added.
Hardik Pandya scored just one run in three balls before he was dismissed by KKR all-rounder Andre Russell. Tim David was dismissed in the 19th over after scoring 24 runs off 20 balls, including a four and a six. The MI team lost their last three wickets for just one run during the chase.
This confuses me – Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag expressed surprise at MI’s poor performance this season. The former India opener urged the management and owners to take action in response to the team’s disappointing performances.
“That confuses me. The management must take strict action against the players and ask them what is happening. Or players should talk about why their batting positions are being changed. The captain, batting coach, bowling coach and support staff are present. “This is where the owners need to ask tough questions.” Sehwag further explained.
MI is still mathematically in the playoff race, but only has the pride of playing this season. They are currently in second-to-last place in the table with three games left in the tournament. Their next game is at home against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Monday, May 6.
Also Read: MI vs SRH: Rohit Sharma injured ahead of T20 World Cup 2024? Piyush Chawla reveals why he was chosen as an impact player
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