MATCH STORIES 
Follow UsIt hasn’t been a rosy comeback for Hardik Pandya in the Mumbai Indians’ camp.
He has been booed by fans in Mumbai, there have been questions raised on some of his decision-making and his bowling hasn’t clicked like it did in the last two seasons for Gujarat Titans. But the most concerning is the dip in his primary skill - batting.
In Match 33 against Punjab Kings (PBKS), he scored 10 off 6 balls coming in the last four overs. That is not a bad innings. However, his innings in the previous game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) brought him under the scanner.
Chasing 207, Mumbai were 130/3 in 13.5 overs when Hardik walked out at five again. The asking rate at this point was 12.6. Hardik had a set batter alongside him - Rohit Sharma 76 off 46 balls.
Basically, the platform was set for Mumbai with the number of wickets they had in hand to go with their deep batting line-up. With a set batter in Rohit, they needed the others to go for the big shots, providing 10 to 20-ball cameos at a strike rate of around 200. That is what Rajasthan Royals (RR) did against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) while chasing 224. Jos Buttler scored a hundred but the likes of Riyan Parag and Rovman Powell fed the impetus.
Hardik, however, scored only 2 off 6 balls before getting out, escalating the asking rate from 12.6 at his entry point to 17 at the point of his dismissal. His knock was the turning point of the game, helping Chennai to pull it back in a vital phase.
Overall, in IPL 2024, Hardik has managed only 141 runs, averaging 23.5 at a strike rate of 146.9. Again, the numbers are not bad but they are heavily influenced by his unbeaten 21 off six balls against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a run chase resembling a breezy Sunday morning walk.
Against Delhi Capitals (DC), where the average run rate in the match was 11, Hardik’s 33-ball 39 was the slowest knock of the game. Similarly, while chasing 278 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), the 30-year-old’s 20-ball 24 took the steam out of the chase. There is a streak of negative impact innings.
While Hardik has handled spin better than expected (average 42, strike rate 161.5), he has been handicapped by the pacers (average 19.8, strike rate 141.4).
Over the years, the right-hander has often been troubled by balls rising at his body. The pace bowlers this year have targeted Hardik on the same front. Three of his five dismissals against pace are down to short balls angling towards him. He has handed catching practice trying to slog them in front of his chest.
Twice he has been out to deliveries ranging between 120 and 130 kph. Hence, pace is not an issue with Hardik but bowlers cramping him for room with the trajectory of the ball is.
Hardik also doesn’t have a fixed spot in this Mumbai line-up. He batted all his 30 innings for Gujarat Titans over the last two years at either number three or four. That spot is neither available in India’s T20 XI, nor in this Mumbai side. He batted at seven in Mumbai’s season opener this year, promoting Tim David over him given he didn’t want to face Rashid Khan. Since then, he has been moving up and down between four and six without any rhythm.
It has now reached a stage where Hardik needs to step up in the finisher’s role, both for the fortunes of India and MI. Any other Indian batter would be pushed far back in the pecking order for the T20 World Cup’s spot. But that isn’t the case with Hardik. He is one of the most significant cricketers in the country owing to his secondary skill. He is the only proven seam-bowling all-rounder India have acquired over the last decade, which seals his spot in the 15-man squad.
But his batting is turning out to be a big letdown as of now.
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