“Hardik bro thought it was MS Dhoni”: Fans troll GT captain Hardik Pandya for baffling captaincy during loss against RR in IPL 2023

Dr. Steve 17 April 2023

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Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Hardik Pandya made some questionable bowling changes in his team’s loss to Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Ahmedabad on Sunday. These bowling changes probably cost them the game as the Royals put up an incredible chase with three wickets in hand.

At one point, GT was on top and RR needed a staggering 112 48-ball runs. However, Sanju Samson launched a fast break first, and then it was Shimron Hetmyer’s turn to show why he is highly rated as a finisher.

Despite having two Mohit Sharma overs up his sleeve, Hardik Pandya decided to give the last over to spinner Noor Ahmed and that turned out to be the wrong move. Fans on Twitter criticized Hardik and GT management for not backing Mohit, who had conceded just 7 runs in his two overs and was supposed to be his death overs specialist.

These are some of the reactions:

We could not Troll Hardik Pandya, if Noor had advocated that 7 Runs in Last over. But it was still a strange captaincy. Mohit Sharma has just conceded 7 runs in his 2 overs for the whole match. Still Pandya gave the last step to debutant Noor. Dhoni ek hi hai bhai 😂#GTvRR #RRvsGT https://t.co/ml3I6FUi8m

@mufaddal_vohra Hardik Pandya got too confident. He deserved to lose the Match.

Hardik tried to make a Rohit-level captaincy, but it didn’t happen. We got it 😂😂😅#RRvsGT

Ashish Nehra and Hardik pandya before selecting a spinner to bowl last when fast bowlers are available. https://t.co/wZYdR97elp

Brother Hardik thought it was MS Dhoni and gave it to Spinner 🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/arKpxj0Yrx

Mohit’s overs remained and he had only given up 7 runs in 2 overs. Hardik blud really wants to be Dhoni. 😭 https://t.co/kiIg3zyLos

Hardik pandya the captain prepared for Jos Buttler but Ashwin Anna dropped out of the syllabus https://t.co/h6IJBigvu4

I am curious about Hardik Pandya’s decision to go with other bowlers instead of Mohit Sharma, who was clearly his featured bowler today. No matter what angle you approach it from, this decision cannot be defended.

Bruh gave debutante Noor Ahmed to bowl against Hetty 😂🤣🤣 https://t.co/QtLFxTRp6Z

Mohit Sharma had gone for 7 in his 2 overs but my blud chose to bowl debutant Noor Ahmed against Hetty captain Hardik Pandya 🔥 https://t.co/iEvVT9Nr4z

Incredible chase! Nothing short of amazing after how RR was reeling. Hats off to Shimron Hetmyer. Few hitters are as valuable as him in this format today! GT’s decision making has, on rare occasions, cost them dearly. Some very strange calls #GTvsRR #IPL2023

Sanju Samson’s RR finally managed to defeat Hardik Pandya’s GT in the IPL

Last year, RR lost all three of its games to GT, including the final, and would have been hungry to prove a point. The visitors made a horrible start to their chase, having lost two wickets to just four runs inside three overs.

However, captain Sanju Samson joined Devdutt Padikkal at the crease as the duo gradually began to up the ante. Samson took Rashid Khan to the dry cleaners and felt that he would take the game away from Gujarat.

While Samson was dismissed for debutant Noor Ahmed, Shimron Hetmyer kept his nerve until the end and ensured Rajasthan crossed the line in the final over. Hardik Pandya and Co. can now recall his decision not to bowl Mohit Sharma in death.