"It’s one of those disastrous nights that Hardik would have had nightmares about"- Stuart Broad on MI's loss against RR in IPL 2024
Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad believes Mumbai Indians (MI) captian Hardik Pandya will find the defeat to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Monday at home as a tough one to digest.
After being put into bat first, MI stuttered their way to 125-9 . Trent Boult came back to haunt his previous franchise, as the Rajasthan pacer had Mumbai tottering at 14-3, sending back Rohit Sharma, Naman Dhir and Dewald Brevis.
Speaking to Star Sports, Stuart Broad explained just how good Trent Boult was with the new ball and how potent he has been as a fast bowler for a long time. He said:
“We’ve come to expect Trent Boult to take a wicket in his first over, not necessarily two, and it was world-class bowling.
"The ball did swing, and carry through. It was exciting for me as a former fast bowler to watch this style of bowling, and I think, apart from maybe Brevis, the batters were outdone by world-class bowling rather than playing poor shots.”
However, Broad also claimed that the manner of the defeat is something Hardik Pandya and his men may take a while to recover from:
“They’re sitting so pretty three from three, but it was a really tough night for Mumbai, it’s one of those disastrous nights that Hardik would have had nightmares about, I think.”
A fine half-century from Riyan Parag ensured that RR comfortably got over the line with 4.3 overs to spare and six wickets in hand. Mumbai Indians remain the only team in IPL 2024 without a win after three games.
Steve Smith on RR's performance in the field
Star Australian batter Steve Smith, who was also present in the discussion, shed light on how RR's fielders complemented the effort of their bowlers. Shimron Hetmyer took a sensational catch of Piyush Chawla, while Ravichandran Ashwin put in a dive to send back Tilak Varma caught at short third man.
Smith said:
“They were getting a really good length, top of the stumps, and just challenging the defence of the batters. There was enough movement in the air to create some kind of doubt.
"And it was one of those nights that it just seemed everything was going to hand. They’d nick it to the keeper, they’d nick it to short third man and it was one of those nights everything went the way of Rajasthan.”
MI have a six-day gap before their next game at home against the Delhi Capitals on Sunday. They have been in this situation before but need to regroup and get their combinations right to mount a comeback.