Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma faced a lot of criticism for sending Hardik Pandya ahead of Ishan Kishan in the super over against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. The all-rounder hasn’t shown great form in the tournament so far while Kishan batted brilliantly against RCB, scoring 99 off 58 deliveries to help MI tie the encounter. Owing to the fact, many expected the southpaw to bat in the one-over eliminator, but the team management decided to send the junior Pandya alongside Kieron Pollard. The decision didn’t prove to be great as MI could only score seven runs in the super over and eventually lost. In the post-match conversation, however, Rohit explained why the all-rounder took the field instead of the left-handed batsman. Rohit Sharma Faces Wrath of Angry Mumbai Indians Fans For Sending Hardik Pandya Ahead of Ishan Kishan.

The Hitman said that Kishan was drained out after his marathon knock and Pandya came out to bat.  “He (Kishan) was drained out and was not comfortable. We thought we could send him but he was not feeling fresh. I mean 7 runs you need to have luck on your side, we had to get wickets but there was also an unfortunate boundary. There are a lot of positives to take away from this game,” Rohit said after the match. RCB vs MI Stat Highlights IPL 2020: Second Super Over of the Season and Other Stats.

With the Dubai temperature being on the higher side, batting for long wasn’t an easy job. In fact, Kishan was soaking wet in the dugout after getting dismissed for 99. Rohit also went on to hail Kishan and Kieron Pollard for showing great character after a top-order collapse.

“It was a great game of cricket. We were not in the game at all when we started off with the bat. Great innings by Ishan there and then Pollard was brilliant as usual for us. It is just that we couldn’t start well, I thought we could chase 200 with the batting power we have,” Rohit said.

Meanwhile, RCB registered their second win of the season against the four-time champions. Aaron Finch, Devdutt Padikkal and AB de Villiers shone with the bat as Bangalore scored 201/3 while batting first. Mumbai’s top-order tumbled while chasing the mammoth title and their defeat looked set on the cards. However, Kishan and Kieron Pollard made a fightback and the match got tied. Navdeep Saini bowled brilliantly in the super-over and helped Bangalore crossed the line.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 29, 2020 09:55 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).