Hardik Pandya will need to deliver instantly for the Mumbai Indians, feels the 2016 IPL winning coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad, Tom Moody. Moody reckons Hardik’s major challenge as the new MI captain will be to live up to the expectations of the management and owners.
Despite having two very successful seasons as the Gujarat Titans captain – one title and one runner-up finish – Hardik Pandya returned to the Mumbai Indians, where he played from 2015 to 2017. He was immediately made the captain of the franchise, bringing an end to the decade-long success of Rohit Sharma, who led MI to all of their five IPL titles.
Mumbai Indians moved worlds and reportedly agreed to Hardik’s pre-condition of being made their new captain soon after the trade, along with paying a hefty transfer fee to GT. After all this now, MI management and ownership is expecting a bumper season from MI under Hardik.
MI expect nothing but excellence from Hardik Pandya: Tom Moody
Tom Moody touched on these expectations and what are the challenges for Hardik Pandya this season.
Speaking with Star Sports, Moody said, “They (MI) expect nothing but excellence, which is what you will expect of any high-performance environment. So Hardik’s challenge is managing that expectation and allowing himself and his whole team to be able to play with that freedom, without that pressure sort of filtering into the dressing room.”
How will Rohit Sharma perform as only a batsman this season after being stripped of the captaincy? Moody believes Rohit will be less burdened now and will have a great season as an opener.
The Australian added: “We know what Rohit Sharma is capable of doing and how dangerous he is as a player as he has demonstrated with an Indian shirt on his back. I don’t think the captaincy is going to have any bearing on his approach. I think he will go out and play his brand of cricket. He is very confident and owns his own game.”
MI will kick start their IPL 2024 campaign on March 24 against Gujarat Titans, Hardik’s previous team, in Ahmedabad.
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