Should Hardik Pandya Continue to Bat at No.7? – Mohammad Shami’s Opinion on it

When a team has a hard-hitting batsman like Hardik Pandya, they are faced with this conundrum. Should they send him ahead of time or not? However, Hardik frequently bats at No. 6 or No. 7. The Hardik-led MI team defeated GT in their first game, and on March 27 at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad, they will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad. After both teams lost their opening match, MI is presently ranked eighth in the points table, while SRH is ranked seventh.

Mohammad Shami’s remarks:

“There is a lot of talks about left-right combination. I don’t understand such things. Last match also we talked about how much Pat Cummins is matured. You need to stay a step ahead. You should think, ‘I am the captain, I should take this responsibility.’ As far as Hardik is concerned, you have batted at No.3 and No.4 at Gujarat Titans, what is the problem in batting at No. 4 or 5 here in MI? Hardik at No. 7 basically becomes a tailender, when you come to bat at No. 7, you are coming in with a lot of pressure. I think if Hardik would have come earlier, the match would not have gone till last over.”
~Shami said.

Incidental Match Insight:

After David Coetzee took 2-27 to hold Gujarat Titans to 168/6 and Bumrah got 3-14 in an incredible exhibition of speed bowling, the Mumbai Indians appeared to be winning the match. Hardik Pandya won the toss and decided to field first, so the Mumbai Indians appeared to be coasting to victory at the midway point with Rohit Sharma and Dewald Brevis scoring 43 and 46, respectively. Mohit Sharma, Spencer Johnson, and Umesh Yadav bowled well in the last overs to salvage an improbable victory, leaving Mumbai Indians thinktank furiously disappointed as they lost their first match. Despite the dew making things tough, Gujarat Titans battled back impressively.