Ravi Shastri made an embarrassing gaffe when he mispronounced Gujarat Titans‘ name, and their captain, Hardik Pandya, couldn’t hold back his laughter.
On Friday, the Gujarat Titans faced off against the Chennai Super Kings in the inaugural game of the 2023 Indian Premier League. After a dazzling opening ceremony, Hardik Pandya of the Golden Triangle and Mahendra Singh Dhoni of the Chennai Super Kings walked out for the toss. When hosting the toss for the first game, however, former India head coach Ravi Shastri made a huge mistake that largely went unnoticed.
Shastri misspoke when he introduced the Gujarat Titans, calling them the Gujarat Giants instead. The Gujarat Giants played in the Women’s Premier League, which just ended. Hardik Pandya, a star for the Titans, couldn’t help but grin when he heard Shastri pronounce the wrong name.
🚨 Toss Update🚨@gujarat_titans win the toss and opt to field first against @ChennaiIPL at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad 🏟️
Follow the match ▶️ https://t.co/61QLtsnj3J#TATAIPL | #GTvCSK pic.twitter.com/F2KNPMuHTy
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 31, 2023
At the historic Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Pandya won the toss and elected to bowl. The ‘impact player’ rule, introduced this season, allows coaches to bring in a bench player to change the momentum of the game. Pandya, who hilariously “didn’t know” when asked about his playing XI, later sent the team sheet after the interview.
When asked about the new regulation, Dhoni responded that it is a “luxury” to have an impact player.
“It’s a luxury to have (impact player). It becomes slightly easy to take the decision because you can use it at any time,” Dhoni said at the toss.
In 2022, the Titans’ first season as a member of the league, they triumphed and became champions. Meanwhile, after a forgettable 2022 season, Chennai Super Kings will be looking to redeem themselves in 2023. The MS Dhoni-led squad won only four of their 14 matches, good for ninth place.
Dhoni’s future in the tournament is uncertain, but many believe he will retire after the 2023 season. There has been no official announcement regarding Dhoni’s future, but many former cricketers, including those on the team, are confident that he can play for CSK for as long as he is physically able.
