Mumbai Indians all-rounder Shardul Thakur revealed that captain Hardik Pandya’s absence from the team’s last three games was due to injury. He also dismissed rumors about the star’s future with the team and stated that he might return for their upcoming match against the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Pandya did not travel to Dharamsala for MI’s six-wicket victory over Punjab Kings. Jasprit Bumrah took over as the team’s third captain this season after Suryakumar Yadav was unable to play following the birth of his child.
“Hardik is injured, so he couldn’t travel for a couple of games,” PTI quoted Thakur as saying at the post-match media interaction on Thursday.
Pandya missed MI’s home match against Lucknow Super Giants on May 4 due to a back spasm. Despite traveling with the team, he also missed the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Raipur.
“He went to Raipur (for the RCB match on May 10), but couldn’t play. He is training in Mumbai now and I expect him to be back in Kolkata and play (at Eden Gardens on May 20). Players like them, we always miss the quality,” Thakur added.
With three league games remaining, the Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants were the first two teams eliminated from playoff contention this season.
As captain and a player, Pandya has had a dismal campaign. He has amassed 146 runs at an average of 20.85 and a strike rate of 136.44 in eight innings, with a highest score of 40. He has only taken four wickets with the ball at an economy rate of about 11.90 from 20.4 overs and an average of 61.50.
Social media chatter about Pandya’s potential moves to teams like the Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings was also fueled by the disappointing season, but Thakur dismissed the rumors.
“There are a lot of discussions going on in social media, some are right, some are wrong… but this is also a management decision (of not travelling to Dharamsala),” he said.
Since Pandya had been out since the match against Chennai Super Kings, Bumrah captained the five-time winners for the first time and led them to just their fourth victory of the season.
Tilak Varma anchored the 201-run chase with an undefeated 75 from 33 balls on a wicket that required both caution and strokeplay, while Thakur shone with numbers of 4/39.
“I think I have my comfort level with him (Bumrah). We had a lot of discussions rather, and I don’t know much about the other bowlers, but of course he’s never shy of sharing his ideas,” Thakur said.
When asked to compare the leadership styles of MI’s three captains this season, Thakur responded that each had a unique style and viewpoint.
“It’s difficult to rate, because all three of them have different set of ideas, like a particular individual, like you and me also, we would have different set of ideas, and there is no set mantra in cricket that it’s going to give you success.
“Players are the ones who make captain look good, so as players you have to be proactive, you need to read the game situations, put in your effort, and need to keep the team always above you, and give your best.
“They bring in a lot of experience, all of them have been match winner for the Indian team, for this franchise also, and you see there would be at least two or three games every season that they would win individually on their individual skills, so that’s the kind of ability which we see.
“And like I have played cricket for quite a few years now, but any youngster seeing them, if they follow them closely, they will see that these guys have amazing ability of winning the game single-handedly, so that motivates the other players, and it also brings in new perspective to their respective games.”
Thakur also praised Varma for adjusting to the circumstances following MI’s marginally above-average run surrender.
“I think it was more of a patience game, where they wait for loose deliveries, and then try to convert, it was that kind of a pitch I would say, and yes we ended up giving probably 20 runs more than what we would intend to, but kudos to Tilak, the way he held his nerve, he spent the time in the middle.”
Despite not being completely delighted with his performance, the all-rounder, who returned after missing three games, said he was happy to contribute to a winning cause.
“I was happy with my bowling, I wouldn’t say I was too happy with my bowling, and the wickets that I took, four wickets, yes, I am happy with that, but I am happier that I was able to take wickets for the winning cause for the team,” he signed off.
