Another season, another defeat for Mumbai Indians in the opening match as the Hardik Pandya-led franchise went down to Gujarat Titans by 6 runs on Sunday. The match marked the beginning of a new era for Mumbai, with Hardik Pandya leading the side, taking over the reins from Rohit Sharma. As the match culminated in a defeat for MI, Rohit was spotted having an intense chat with Hardik on the field, with the franchise's owner Akash Ambani also standing right next to them.
Throughout the match, Rohit remained in the spotlight despite not being Mumbai Indians' skipper anymore. Even during the course of the match, Rohit could be seen speaking to Hardik and other players, probably as part of certain strategic decisions.
In a video that has surfaced on social media, Hardik could be seen coming from behind to hug Rohit. But, the former MI captain turned around and looked frustrated as he held an intense chat with the successor. Here's the video:
Despite the defeat in the opening match, Hardik remained unfazed as he highlighted that the franchise has 13 more games in hand to make things right.
"Obviously we back ourselves to chase those 42 runs (in the last five overs) but it was one of those days where we see the score quite less in those last five overs, we lost a bit of momentum there," Pandya said at the post-match presentation.
"It feels good to be back because this is one stadium where you can enjoy and feel the atmosphere quite lively and obviously the crowd was full and they got a good game as well." When asked about Varma's refusal to run a single, the skipper said, "I think Tilak felt that was a better idea at that point of time. I completely back him. Not an issue, (we have) 13 games to go."