Mumbai, May 7 (H.S.): In a rain-affected match at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday, the Mumbai Indians faced a three-wicket defeat against the Gujarat Titans on the last ball. The match was filled with ups and downs, but in the end, captain Hardik Pandya’s concern over the ‘no ball’ became the major reason for the defeat.

Hardik Pandya expressed his disappointment after the loss. After the match, Hardik said, The no balls caused us more damage than the dropped catches. I consider the two no balls bowled by me and the no ball bowled by Deepak Chahar in the last over as a ‘crime.’ Such things often weigh heavily on the team, and the same happened with us.

Hardik bowled two no balls in the eighth over, which were part of an over that cost 18 runs. Meanwhile, trying to save 14 runs in the last over, Deepak Chahar also bowled a no ball at a crucial moment.

Catch wasn’t the issue, the no ball ruined the game

Hardik made it clear that dropping the catch was not the major reason. We were very clinical regarding the catches. Perhaps if the no ball hadn’t happened, we would have won. But I am happy with the players as they gave 120% and remained in the contest until the end.

Mumbai faltered in batting, but the bowlers provided a chance for a comeback

Batting first, the Mumbai Indians scored 155/8. Will Jacks did score a half-century, but the team lost 6 wickets for just 58 runs in the last 9.3 overs.

Hardik said, This was not a 150-run wicket. There should have been 175 runs on that pitch. We fell short by 20-30 runs in batting. But the bowlers made a fantastic comeback, especially considering the wet ball and the match being interrupted repeatedly by rain.

The rain posed difficulties

Hardik also mentioned that during the second innings, the ball kept getting wet, which made it difficult for the bowlers. The pitch was dry in the first innings, but the ball kept getting wetter in the second innings. These conditions were not in our favor, but the game goes on.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar