'Bad Captaincy by Hardik': Fans Unhappy wiith Pandya's Bowling Selections Against Rajasthan Royals

Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya has garnered severe backlash owing to his experimental move to send debutant spinner Noor Ahmad to bowl the final over of the big-ticket IPL encounter against Rajasthan Royals on April 16. The out-of-the-box decision backfired as Noor failed to defend 7 runs with Shimron Hetmyer securing the victory in just two balls.

Following Rajasthan’s comfortable 3-wicket win, fans lashed out at Pandya and the Gujarat team management for not utilising Mohit Sharma in the death overs. The pacer conceded just 7 runs in the first two overs of his four-over spell. Some also brought out the reference to MS Dhoni, saying that Pandya was probably trying to set an example of strange captaincy like the former Indian skipper.

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A fan could not believe Hardik Pandya’s decision to “go with other bowlers instead of Mohit Sharma, who was clearly their standout bowler today."

While venting out frustration about Hardik Pandya’s captaincy, another fan mentioned Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson as “the perfect successor of MS Dhoni."

Another user pointed at Hardik Pandya’s below-par performance, wondering if captaincy was the reason behind the lean patch.

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A fan did not spare Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra, referring to Hardik Pandya’s blunder.

Here are some other reactions:

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In reply to Gujarat’s 178-run target, Rajasthan pulled off a disastrous start to the chase, losing both of their openers in the first three overs. Devdutt Padikkal and Sanju Samson then initiated the rescue operation before Mohit Sharma dismissed Padikkal for 26. Samson continued to steer the innings quite composedly till Shimron Hetmyer joined hands with him and began accelerating the innings.

After the skipper returned with a 23-ball 60, Hetmyer came out of his shell and showed off his finishing prowess. The Caribbean big-hitter smashed five sixes and two boundaries during his 26-ball innings and in the end, remained unbeaten at 56. Dhruv Jurel and Ravichandran Ashwin played some blistering cameos and scored 18 and 10 runs.

Picking up the commanding win, Rajasthan Royals retained their position at the top of the IPL table. The Pink franchise has endured a single loss in their 5 appearances. Meanwhile, the Titans remained in the third spot with 6 points in the same number of games.

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