Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was critical of MI captain Hardik Pandya’s bowling in the final over of CSK innings in their recent IPL 2024 match in Mumbai on Sunday.
Pandya took it upon himself to bowl the final over and did well, getting the wicket of Daryl Mitchell after getting hit for a four. However, he was hit for three consecutive sixes and ended up giving 26 runs in the over, with Dhoni remaining unbeaten on 20 in 4 balls.
Dhoni's late charge made sure CSK, who was at 180 at the end of the 19th over, took their total to 206/4, which eventually led them to win the match by 20 runs in the end. This was despite Rohit Sharma’s brilliant unbeaten century.
Gavaskar slammed Hardik Pandya's bowling and questioned whether MI used the game as a 'benefit match' for MS Dhoni, who may have played his final professional encounter at the legendary venue.
"Well so I am pretty certain the Mumbai Indians would have also seen what he was practicing, and so they decided this might be his last game here in Mumbai, so let's also go in the same way, so he can delight the Mumbai crowd.
Listen, I'm not going to get over this, I'm not, like all Indians, I'm a fan of him, and I wanted to see him hit a six, but not three back-to-back sixes, this is a length delivery, it's almost like I said, like a benefit match, you know, there's a beneficiary, and you want to make sure that the beneficiary succeeds in his benefit match, doesn't get out first ball, and that's the kind of bowling that was it," Gavaskar told Star Sports.
MI are reeling in the bottom half of the IPL 2024 points table with just 2 wins in their first 6 matches.
