‘I think he looked a little bit anxious’ – Tom Moody dissects Hardik Pandya’s debut outing as Mumbai Indians captain

Rohit and Hardik (Source-Twitter/X)

Hardik Pandya’s emotions were palpable when he caught David Miller at mid-off. He celebrated extensively, more than the bowler Jasprit Bumrah himself. He held the ball in his hand without letting it go and exclaimed his lungs out as his teammates converged. Moreover, the all-rounder was at his mercurial best as he was seen changing the field time and again, differing from his usual laidback self at the Gujarat Titans.

The Pandya shenanigans caught the attention of the spectators and the viewers alike. While some termed it as over-energetic, some said he was pumped up on getting back to his root franchise. Tom Moody too found the Mumbai Indian’s captain possessed new found attitude and expressed that the former Gujarat Titans captain looked tentative in his approach.

“I think he looked a little bit tentative, I think he looked a little bit anxious. The captain that we saw over the year at Titans, was very much relaxed and very much in control leader. He’s got a few challenges in front of him. He is at a huge franchise in Mumbai Indians and he has got some big-time players around him, who have also got a huge amount of experience, also have got captaincy experience. So he has to step up even further,” Moody said during the Star Sports Press Room show.

“There’s no doubt that the relationship between the captain and the coach is absolutely key. And that’s the new relationship forming at MI now with Boucher and Hardik Pandya. So that is going to take time to gel and to work effectively. And that’s got nothing to do with the game yesterday,” he added.

Umesh Yadav pulls off a heist against MI

Shubman Gill proved his captaincy skills as he led Gujarat Titans to a thrilling six-run victory over Mumbai Indians in their opening match of the Indian Premier League at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday. In the final over, with only 19 runs to defend, GT’s Umesh Yadav remained calm under pressure against the aggressive Pandya and managed to dismiss him after being hit for a six and a four. Yadav gave away just 13 runs, securing a stunning victory against the five-time champions.