According to David, the team is completely satisfied with the way their captain has batted thus far.......
Digital desk: Tim David, an all-around player for the Mumbai Indians, defended captain Hardik Pandya's scoring rate in the ongoing Indian Premier League on Wednesday, claiming the five-time champions' batting lineup is held together because of him.
This season, Pandya has failed to go ballistic in both the middle and lower order, despite striking at 138.46 to score 108 runs in four matches thus far while batting at different locations. In the first match, Pandya fell under pressure after making a four-ball 11 in a challenging chase against his former team, Gujarat Titans; in the second, the MI captain could only muster a 20-ball 24 at No. 5 against Sunrisers Hyderabad amid a daunting 278 chase.
In a low-scoring game, Pandya did a commendable job of top-scoring with a 21-ball 34 against the Rajasthan Royals on a tough pitch. However, his 33-ball 39 (3x4s, 1x6) stood in stark contrast to the other MI batters who went all out to help the team record its highest total of 234/5 at home in the previous match.
"We've discussed our play in conversations. On the day of the Mumbai Indians' match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru", David addressed the media at the team's training session at Wankhede Stadium. "Hardik has been playing a really important job for our team."
David added, "Look at the last match (vs Delhi Capitals), we struggled hard for momentum towards the back end (against Delhi Capitals). Hardik played a perfect inning that set the platform for me and Romario (Shepherd) to go on with at the end."
"We got ourselves to a platform and he got that one ball that he could have hit for six. He hit it high on the bat and missed the middle and he is out (and) that is how the game goes." The impact player rule, according to the Australian all-rounder, might make some batting lineups, like Kolkata Knight Riders, go boom or bust, but Pandya keeps the innings together.
There might be a little bit less responsibility because of the additional freedom that comes with having an extra batter. Some are playing with a little more freedom or without much thought. It is mutual. The way that KKR has been playing.
"The other night, they were playing the same way (against Chennai Super Kings). They were looking to go big or bust a bit. They fall in a heap in the middle order." "Like I said at the start, we had Hardik playing a middle-order role in the last match. He was the glue that held us together and gave us a chance to play with freedom at the back end," he added.
According to David, the team is completely satisfied with the way their captain has batted thus far. "Hardik has been phenomenal in the way he has been playing for the team. That is what we need at some point. Sometimes it is me, sometimes it is other guys", he said.
He further added, "You could go look at the first game where Hardik hit two boundaries in his first two balls. (We have) full faith in him. We know his power; we know how good he is. When he gets into that situation, he is going to win games for us."
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