Hardik Pandya credited MS Dhoni and Matheesha Pathirana for being the point of difference between the 2 teams during the match between MI and CSK at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. CSK halted MI’s winning streak at their home ground as they registered an emphatic win to clinch their 4th match of the season. CSK trumped MI by 20 runs to have their first away win of the season.
Hardik, during the post-match presentation, admitted that the total of 207 was definitely chaseable but lauded Pathirana’s efforts with the ball and mentioned Dhoni’s valuable guidance from behind the wickets.
“Definitely, gettable. But they bowled pretty well and Pathirana was the difference. They were smart with their plans and used the longer boundary well. They got the hang of it, and they have a man behind the stumps telling them what’s working,” Hardik said in the post-match presentation.
MI vs CSK: Match report | Highlights
It was a comprehensive defence by CSK bowlers on the belter track of the Wankhede Stadium. Pathirana made a return to CSK after missing a couple of matches due to a niggle. He boosted CSK’s bowling attack by picking up 4 wickets and giving away just 28 runs.
BABY MALINGA STUNS MI
At one point, MI were racing away with the target as they lost no wickets for 70 runs. However, Pathirana in his very first over went on to dismiss Ishan Kishan. From there, MI kept on losing wickets as Rohit Sharma stood at the other end and went onto score a century. Pathirana registered his best IPL figures and was adjudged as the Player of the Match.
Hardik also mentioned the difficulty in hitting against the pacers on this wicket and hoped for the team to come back in their next games.
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“The ball was slightly gripping, and they got ahead of the game. Until Pathirana came, we were on course for the total. It was just about what was best at that point (on whether they could have used a spinner to Dube?). For seamers, it was more difficult to hit on this wicket. We are now on the road for the next four games. If we are smart, we can get the goal we want,” Hardik added.
DHONI’S BLITZ AT WANKHEDE
The highlight of the El Clasico was Thala Dhoni’s arrival at the crease and yet again finishing off in style at Wankhede, but this time for CSK. Hardik was slammed for 3 consecutive sixes on the trot and his fiery knock of 20 runs from last 4 balls propelled CSK to a winning total.
