The Mumbai Indians (MI) skipper Hardik Pandya did a hilarious Rohit Sharma-like goof-up at the toss as he forgot the name of the debutant of his team.
Hardik Pandya made the comical blunder ahead of the commencement of the game between the Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday, March 31.
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Definitely, we would like to get into the rhythm and get start – Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to bowl first in the match. He said that they are hopeful of the pacers getting some swing from the Wankhede surface. He stated:
“We are gonna bowl first. Looks a good track. Playing at Wankhede, dew might come or not come. So, we have decided to chase. There are chances that we might get early swing. There will be something in it for the bowlers.”
Hardik Pandya further said that they are not thinking about the back-to-back losses as the IPL is a long competition but wanted his team to get into a rhythm. He said:
“It’s a long competition. Definitely, we would like to get into the rhythm and get start. We are excited for this game. If we do the right things, we will get the result. We need to play good cricket overall. Calm the nerves down and take the smarter options. If we do that, we will come out on top.”
Watch: Hardik Pandya hilariously forgets MI debutant’s name at toss
At last Ravi Shastri asked him about the team combination and responding to this, Hardik Pandya said that Will Jacks has returned to the playing XI but was unable to remember the name of the debutant Ashwani Kumar.
Although the MI skipper took a long pause, he managed to name Ashwani at the toss. Notably, his act was very similar to Rohit Sharma, who often forgets names at the toss. “Will comes back and we have a debutant… What’s his name… Ashwani,” the MI skipper said.
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Notably, Ashwani Kumar is a 23-year-old left-arm medium pacer from Punjab, who has played just 10 matches across First-class, List-A, and T20 cricket.
Mumbai Indians to struggle until Jasprit Bumrah returns
Speaking about the MI vs KKR clash on his official YouTube channel, the former India cricketer Aakash Chopra said that the Mumbai Indians will continue to look weak until the premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah returns to their playing XI. He said:
“I think they are missing Jasprit Bumrah very badly, and until he comes, this team will look slightly weak. However, he will come when he has to, but are those who are there doing the right things? In my opinion, they need to pick their XI properly, which they are not doing.
“Your bowling plan is wrong. Satyanarayana Raju is a good bowler. He bowls back-of-the-hand slower ones at the death, but should he be your death specialist? You have to get your death bowling done between (Trent) Boult, Topley, Bumrah and Deepak Chahar. Mitchell Santner will be your lone spinner. If you want more bowling, Tilak Varma or someone else can be your sixth bowler.”
