Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya spoke about the victory his team registered over Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. He admitted that they came into the game with clear minds and gave credit to Romario Shepherd for the victory. . The all-rounder also provided an update on his bowling.
Mumbai Indians are finally off the mark in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. They beat Delhi Capitals by 29 runs to win their first match of the season after facing three consecutive losses against Gujarat Titans, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals. .
Mumbai Indians looked like a completely different team than what they were in the last three matches. They came out with a positive mindset and posted a grand total of 234 runs on the board. It all started with Rohit Sharma (49) and Ishan Kishan (42) adding 80 runs in partnership.
Then captain Hardik Pandya (39) and Tim David (45*) played bravely in the middle. But Romario Shepherd stole the show with his brutal cameo at the end. He scored an unbeaten 39 runs, of which he scored 32 runs in the last over.
With the ball, Mumbai Indians started quite well by removing David Warner (10). They came under a bit of pressure as Prithvi Shaw (66) and Abishek Porel (41) put together an 88-run partnership. But after that, Gerald Coetzee and Jasprit Bumrah made sure to close out the game and win by 29 runs.
Hardik Pandya, while talking about the victory, stated that the XI against Delhi Capitals will now be their regular team, although they will make some tactical changes. He also talked about the atmosphere in the locker room and praised his team for their batting effort. In statements to the stations, he explained:
“It was very hard work. We had to clear our heads and make sure we believed. We will make tactical changes here and there, but this will be our 12 and establishing our team now is important. There is a lot of love and care in the dressing room. The belief and mutual support is the attitude that exists.
“Everyone believed we needed just one win. Today was an amazing start, it’s always great to score 70-something in 6 overs. It was good to see the way everyone chipped in when the opportunity arose.”
I will be bowling at the right time – Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya has not played since the last two matches and this has led many to speculate whether the all-rounder is injured. The Mumbai Indians captain stated that he is in top form and he will bowl at the right time. He elaborated:
“That was a knock na (On Romario’s heroics). He won the game for us. The difference was Romario vs Delhi Capitals. I like him. He always has a smile on his face and doesn’t run away. (On why Hardik doesn’t bowl) I’m fine. I’ll be bowling at the right time, we had everything covered today so I didn’t have to turn my arms.”
Mumbai Indians will next be seen in action when they take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their next match on April 11.