"Hardik Pandya's homecoming will be emotional" - Ravi Shastri ahead of MI vs GT in IPL 2023
Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri feels the Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Hardik Pandya will be keen to do well against his former franchise Mumbai Indians (MI). The two teams will clash on Friday, May 12, at the Wankhede Stadium, a venue where he has delivered several stellar performances over the years.
Pandya will be facing MI in their own den for the first time and Shastri feels it won't be straightforward for the table-toppers to get two points. MI will enter this game on the back of another morale-boosting chase against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and will be brimming with confidence.
Speaking to Star Sports, here's what Shastri had to say about Pandya ahead of Match 57 of the ongoing Indian Premier League season (IPL 2023):
"Hardik's homecoming will be emotional. He will play a crucial match against the team at the ground where he rose to stardom. Hardik would like to prove a lot by leading his team to victory."
He added:
"This match will be really interesting as it will not be easy for GT to beat MI at their home and then MI would like to equalize the defeat in Ahmedabad and take a strong step towards the playoffs."
Hardik Pandya has scored 277 runs and picked up three wickets in 10 matches this season.
It will be tough for MI to beat GT if they lose the toss: Harbhajan Singh
Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh was also present in the discussion. He opined that the Mumbai Indians will need to win the toss to give themselves the best chance to win their game against the Gujarat Titans.
Harbhajan feels Mumbai's bowling isn't as strong as the opposition and that means they will hope to win the toss and chase. On this, he stated:
"MI will have to bring their A-Game against GT because the latter's bowling lineup is very strong. GT has Rashid [Khan], [Mohammed] Shami and other quality bowlers. Mumbai's bowling attack, on the other hand, is weaker and they are leaking 200-plus runs."
The former cricketer added:
"Yes, MI have chased down three consecutive 200-plus totals, but the law of averages might catch up. Also, toss is going to be very crucial in that game, if MI lose the toss, it will be tough."
Former Indian cricketer S Sreesanth also weighed in on the importance of the team environment that Gujarat have been able to build. He said:
"This match between MI and GT will be very exciting. MI are playing at Wankhede. They will enter this match on the back of a big win.
"Hardik, on the other hand, is captaining GT brilliantly. Also, their team management puts the team on the field with very good preparation. This team lives in a family ecosystem and it is easy to win in this situation."
The Mumbai Indians desperately need two points from this fixture as multiple other teams are breathing down their neck in the points table. Meanwhile, a win for the Titans will seal their spot in Qualifier 1 of the IPL 2023 playoffs in Chennai.