It was a night where every little detail mattered and unfortunately for Mumbai Indians, the small errors turned into big setbacks. In a close encounter at the Wankhede Stadium, MI fell short against Gujarat Titans by three wickets under the DLS method.
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The defeat was a big blow to Mumbai’s playoff hopes but what caught most attention was skipper Hardik Pandya’s strong words after the match.
He pointed out how no-balls- including his own and one from Deepak Chahar in the final over- cost the team dearly. He called them a “crime” in the shortest format.
Let’s look at what all he had to say.
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Why did Hardik Pandya call the no-balls a ‘crime’?
After the match, Pandya didn’t hide his frustration. He said that in T20 cricket, bowling no-balls is unforgivable. He bowled two himself earlier in the innings, while Chahar overstepped at the worst possible time in the last over.
"I mean I won't say catches cost us the game. We were very clinical in the field. I would rather say the no-balls. My no-balls and even the last no-ball. In my eyes in T20s it's a crime. Most of the times in T20 cricket, it bites you. It definitely did to us," said Hardik.
Gujarat needed 15 runs off the final six balls. With the rain having reduced the game and the DLS method in play, MI had a slight upper hand.
But Deepak Chahar couldn’t hold his nerve. He gave away a four, then a six, and the momentum shifted completely when he bowled a no-ball. That one mistake turned the whole game in GT’s favour.
Did MI’s batting fall short vs GT?
Yes, Hardik admitted it openly. Mumbai managed 155/8, which he said was well below par. Will Jacks top-scored with 53, Suryakumar added 35 and Corbin Bosch chipped in with a quick 27.
But it wasn’t enough on a surface that could’ve seen 175 easily, according to the captain. "It was definitely not a 150 wicket. We were definitely short of 20-25 runs or maybe 30 runs if we would've batted well," he said.
He admitted the loss was hard to take but said he was proud of how his team fought, "It's a tough way to go down. I think we fought really well with the total we had on the board. Most of the time we were got out of the game but as a group we kept pushing,"
Despite a modest total, the MI bowlers gave it everything. Jasprit Bumrah picked up big wickets, including Gill and Shahrukh, while Boult also bowled well.
"Credit to the bowlers as they bowled in the right areas and kept fighting," concluded Hardik.
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