IPL 2024: Hardik Pandya leaves legends fuming on ’inept’ bowling; Irfan Pathan remarks ’his own lack of skill...’

With Mumbai Indians losing their fourth match in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2024, newly appointed skipper Hardik Pandya is yet again under intense scrutiny, as he conceded 26 runs in the final over against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday.

Of those 26 runs, 20 were smashed by MS Dhoni, all thanks to Thala's explosive hat-trick of sixes. This propelled CSK's  score to 206 runs in 20 overs at the Wankhede stadium.

After the loss, former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan lambasted Hardik for making a wrong decision to bowl the last over despite Akash Madhwal having an over left.

Pathan slammed Pandya for his "inept bowling" against Dhoni, and also questioned his ability to bowl in the slog overs.

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“Hardik Pandya bowling the last over showed the lack of faith on Akash Madhwal’s bowling and his own lack of skill as a death over bowler,” he tweeted.

However, former Australia cricketer Adam Gilchrist sees this differently. He says that it only showed Hardik's confidence.

"The only positive about Hardik Pandya and his bowling was that he was prepared to take on the challenge. I am captain, I am gonna have a crack… but then he looks proppy, as we use in Australian sporting terms, you are not quite fluent. He does not look anywhere near 100 percent fit with the ball in hand and if there is any doubt about the physicality. His bowling was scattered," Gilchrist said in conversation with Cricbuzz.

This is not the first time that Pandya has been criticised and concerns over Hardik's fitness in terms of bowling amid the auditions for the T20 World Cup have been raised.

Earlier, former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull alleged that Hardik was hiding his injury.

On Hardik bowling the last over, former Australia fast bowler Brett Lee commented that Pandya's decision to bowl the final over turned out to be a wrong one.

“If he came in and bowled two bit of yorkers, contained him for eight runs…that's a great cap scene. So, I could see that ownership of him trying to look after his bowler at the other end, mud wall, saying, well, I don't want to put him under any more pressure. Going for twelve and a half and over, I'll do it by myself. But it turned out it wasn't the right call. And he has to live by that…,” Lee said on Jio Cinema.

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Commentator Harsha Bhogle went to the extent of even questioning if Hardik should be picked in India's T20 World Cup squad as a pure batter. Answering his own question, he said that Hardik won't be chosen as the team has other better pure batters options.

While speaking on Cricbuzz, Bhogle asked, If Hardik is not bowling, does Hardik make the T20 World Cup squad?

Answering his own question, he said, "Is he among the top six batters in India if he is not bowling? I'm not totally convinced of that because if he is not bowling and he is not finishing as powerfully. He needs to bat up, where all the competition is."