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Mumbai Indians finally got off the mark in IPL2 204 on Sunday at the Wankhede Stadium after they beat Delhi Capitals in a high-scoring thriller. There was much criticism of the MI team and of Hardik Pandya’s captaincy after the team succumbed to a hat-trick of losses at the start of the season, but Romario Shepherd’s thundering cameo helped the home team get their first win on board. But more than the victory, it was the wholesome moment between Hardik and Rohit Sharma, after the match, that went viral on social media.
Put to bat first at home, Mumbai got off to a blazing start with openers Ishan Kishan and Rohit stitching an 80-run partnership before Axar Patel and Anrich Nortje struck at regular intervals, picking two wickets each, to keep Delhi in the contest. But a slog-over masterclass from Tim David and Shepherd, who smashed five sixes and eight boundaries between themselves to stitch a 55-run stand in just 13 balls, saw MI finish with 234 for five.
In response, Prithvi Shaw played a crucial role at the top of the order with his 40-ball 66 before No. 4 Tristan Stubbs carved out 71 off 25, which included seven sixes, to keep Delhi in the run chase. But a middle-order collapse inflicted by Gerald Coetzee saw Delhi being restricted to 205 for eight in 20 overs.
Hardik was elated after the 29-run win, his first win as Mumbai Indians captain. He later shared a warm hug with former captain Rohit, who patted his back, congratulating him on the victory as the wholesome moment went viral on social media.
The priceless moment between Hardik and Rohit will surely bury all rumours surrounding the Mumbai Indians’ situation. Moreover, after MI’s first match against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, Rohit had seemingly refused to hug Hardik after the match before they broke into an animated discussion on the field. There were other instances, such as Hardik being left alone in the MI dugout as the rest of the players, including Rohit, abandoned him, and the all-rounder walking away from a conversation with the former captain and Jasprit Bumrah.
“It was a lot of hard work. We had to clear our minds and make sure that we believed. We will be making tactical changes here and there but this will be our 12 and settling our team now is important,” Hardik later said in the post-match presentation.
The win also helped Mumbai become the first IPL side to secure 50 wins at a single venue and the first T20 side to have 150 victories to their name.
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