It wasn’t the return that Hardik Pandya was expecting. The new Mumbai Indians skipper was handed a 6 run defeat by Gujarat Titans in the epic GT vs MI clash in IPL 2024. Despite the loss, Hardik Pandya is not crestfallen. He believes that it has been a rare occasion where his team lost the momentum of the game given that he was booed throughout the game.
Mumbai Indians jinx remains unaltered. For 11 years running, Mumbai Indians have failed to win their first game of the tournament. Even after a captaincy change, the jinx remains firm.
“We backed ourselves to chase those 42 runs but it was one of those days where we lost the momentum. It feels good to be back because this is one stadium you can enjoy, feel the atmosphere quite lively and obviously the crowd was full and they got a good game as well,” said Hardik Pandya after the game.
“(On Tilak not taking the single vs Rashid) I think Tilak felt that that was a better idea at that point of time, I completely back him, not an issue, we’ve got 13 games to go,” Hardik Pandya concluded.
Despite the loss, Hardik Pandya remains confident on his team. He has gone on to state that he completely backs the team. With 13 more group stage matches remaining, MI next faces Sunrisers Hyderabad.