There has been a lot of chatter over the captaincy situation in Mumbai Indians with the fanbase split over the decision to appoint Hardik Pandya as the skipper in place of Rohit Sharma ahead of the new season. Things got worse as the five-time champions lost three matches on the trot and Hardik was booed by a section of the crowd at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. While MI did win their next two games in IPL 2024, the rumours of a possible rift between Rohit and Hardik continued to dominate headlines and the loss against Chennai Super Kings once again led to massive criticism from fans and experts. However, following MI’s thrilling win over Punjab Kings on Thursday, Hardik and Rohit shared a brilliant moment and it is exactly what Mumbai Indians fans wanted to see as the team eye resurgence in IPL 2024.
Ashutosh Sharma gave a glimmer of hope to PBKS with his explosive knock but three-wicket hauls for Jasprit Bumrah and Gerald Coetzee was enough to guide MI to a close-fought victory.
Following Kagiso Rabada’s run out in the final over of the match, the stadium erupted and the happiness was clear on the faces of MI cricketers. While Ishan Kishan punched the air in celebration, skipper Hardik was congratulated by Rohit before they joined the rest of their teammates.
“Very good game of cricket. Everyone’s nerve got tested. We did speak about before the game that the character will be checked in this game. Naturally you think you’re ahead in the game. But we knew IPL has a tendency to produce these games. Unbelievable – coming in and playing like that (Ashutosh’s knock). Almost every ball hitting the middle. Happy for him and chuffed for his future. We did speak in the timeout that it doesn’t matter how good we look. We’ll keep scrapping in this game. We were quite soft in certain overs. Nevertheless, a win is a win,” Hardik said at the post-match press conference.
