Mumbai Indians lost by 12 runs against Lucknow Super Giants, and Hardik Pandya’s decisions in the dying overs ignited huge debate on social media as Tilak Varma retired out. The five-time title holders were in with a real chance of snatching a great victory, especially when Tilak Varma got retired out and gave a chance to Mitchell Santner to bat alongside Hardik in the death overs. Yet, Mumbai’s strategy in the crunch moments led to more questions than answers.
Harbhajan Singh Baffled After Tilak Varma Retired Out
“Retiring Tilak for Santer was a mistake in my opinion. Is Santner a better hitter than Tilak ? If it was for Pollard or some other accomplished hitter I would have understood . But Don’t agree with this . Come on @mipaltan,” wrote Harbhajan Singh
Also Read: LSG Vs MI: What Is Retired Out In Cricket? Here’s The Reason Behind Tilak Varma’s Decision!
What Exactly Happened In LSG Vs MI Match?
With 29 runs still needed from 12 balls, Varma and Pandya were nicely settled at the crease, but Varma had struggled to get his rhythm going, scoring just 25 from 23 balls. Therefore, MI resorted to the unusual step of retiring him out, hoping for a faster kick in the last overs. Santner, who is a big hitter, was asked to come in with seven balls remaining.
Shardul Thakur bowled a tight 19th over, giving only seven runs and leaving Mumbai with 22 runs to find from the last six balls. Avesh Khan was given the last over, and Hardik began with a bang, sending the first ball – a low full-toss – for a six over deep extra cover. The MI dugout was once again filled with hope, but what ensued left fans and pundits stunned. Avesh replied with a yorker on leg stump, which Hardik was able to turn for two runs, leaving the equation at 14 needed from four balls.
Instead of rotating the strike, Pandya played two dot balls, one a lofted shot to long-off that was poorly timed, and the other a failed slog that saw the ball ricochet off his own pad. As Mumbai’s hopes began to fade, Pandya took a single off the fifth ball, leaving Santner with the near-impossible task of hitting 13 runs off the final delivery.
