Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya have had their fair share of disagreements over fielding positions this IPL season. In the early stages of the tournament, a video of Hardik instructing the senior pro to field near the boundary went viral on social media and in the ensuing matches, a similar video of Rohit instructing the MI skipper to field near the boundary line also surfaced.
In the latest reincarnation of this battle, former skipper Rohit Sharma was seen suggesting some field placements to bowler Akash Madhwal that went against Pandya’s recommendations. The incident took place in the penultimate over of the MI vs PBKS match, when Pandya and Madhwal were discussing fielding and Rohit chimed in with his suggestions. The trio can be seen having a heated conversation about fielding, but from the looks of it, Rohit seems to have had his way with bowler Madhwal, who preferred the field suggested by the Indian captain.
MI clinch victory in a tightly fought contest:
The tension on the Mumbai Indians’ minds was heightened by the fact that they were only 12 runs away from the final over of the match, with an extra fielder in the crease due to the slow over rate. Meanwhile, MI were also rattled by a remarkable comeback by the PBKS batsmen, who had come so close to victory after losing half their side for 77.
Kagiso Rabada had also shown that he deserved more respect than a number 10 or 11 with a six off the last ball of the previous over. Harshal Patel, the batsman at the other end, was no slouch either, with the all-rounder known to hit the odd ball out of the park.
After the tense discussion, however, Madhwal seemed to stick to a plan that focused on keeping the ball outside Rabada’s arc. The right-handed pacer started with a wide first ball and followed it up with a wide yorker that Rabada hit to the off side in an attempt to steal 2 runs, but a sharp throw from Mohammed Nabi meant the end of the South African and Punjab Kings’ innings. Mumbai Indians eventually won this hard-fought encounter by 9 runs.
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Published: 19 Apr 2024, 10:37 AM IST