Xtra Time Web Desk: Hardik Pandya did not have a great start as the captain of Mumbai Indians, the cricketing franchise along with the fans at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad were clearly not impressed were not impressed with his captaincy tactics.
From former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan to current India player Mohammed Shami, everyone had their say about where Hardik had gone wrong in the first match as captain. When Shami was asked about the comparisons between Hardik and India legend Mahendra Singh Dhoni as captains he said, “Dhoni is Dhoni. You cannot match someone else. Everyone has a different mindset, whether it is Dhoni or Kohli.” Irfan Pathan said, “Hardik Pandya made big mistakes in the match. In the powerplay, he bowled 2 overs himself, that was a big mistake. He brought Jasprit Bumrah into the attack a bit late.”
Flashback to 2020, the then captain of Gujarat Hardik was spotted yelling and abusing at Shami in apparent frustration as Sunrisers Hyderabad threatened to end Gujarat winning streak in 2022 season of IPL. Hardik and Shami had bowled two economical overs each with the new ball, but Kane Williamson and Abhishek Sharma managed to bring SRH back on track in the 163-run chase. Such behaviour from the captain made Shami feel insulted, made leave the franchise.
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Shami sat out from India’s ODI World Cup first four matches as India went ahead with fast-bowling allrounder Shardul Thakur to add depth to their batting. He only got the chance when Hardik was ruled out as he sustained an ankle injury when he twisted it while bowling against Bangladesh at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Ground in Pune on October 19. These displeasures seem to be still alive in Shami’s heart.