Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya appeared highly impressed with uncapped Indian batter Naman Dhir’s power-hitting during the team’s preparatory camp for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The 25-year-old showcased his talent with a remarkable lofted shot over fine-leg in a net session.
Observing from behind the nets, Hardik acknowledged the youngster’s impressive six, remarking:
“Yeah..mast.”
Posting the video of Dhir’s shot, the Mumbai-based franchise captioned on Instagram:
“कडक 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓, Naman!💥( Solid shot, Naman).”
Notably, MI acquired Dhir at his base price of ₹20 lakh ahead of IPL 2024. He played seven matches, scoring 140 runs at an impressive strike rate of 177.21. The five-time champions retained Dhir for IPL 2025 by utilizing the Right-To-Match option at the mega-auction. This time, he secured a significant pay hike, being bought for ₹5.25 crore.
“It will be a season of personal redemption for him” – Aakash Chopra on MI captain Hardik Pandya
Former India opener Aakash Chopra feels Hardik Pandya will have a statement to make in IPL 2025. He noted that while Pandya was once seen as Rohit Sharma’s heir in India’s white-ball leadership, he was unexpectedly dropped from the captaincy race.
Chopra highlighted that Hardik has a history of excelling under pressure and demonstrated his leadership skills by guiding Gujarat Titans (GT) to an IPL title in 2022. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the cricketer-turned-commentator said:
“The biggest opportunity is for Hardik Pandya. He was almost the heir apparent to Rohit Sharma at one point. He used to be the captain wherever Rohit Sharma wasn’t there. It was almost a given that he would be the white-ball captain.”
“However, suddenly, he has gone out of the captaincy list. No one is even discussing him. He is not even being made the vice-captain. The guy has performed strongly. He is a clutch player. He is the one who delivers almost every single time in clutch situations.”
“He won the Gujarat Titans the title and took them to the final the second year. After that, suddenly, he is nowhere. He is not in the captaincy list. So it will be a season of slight personal redemption for him.”
”Can he as a captain take the Mumbai Indians to their former glory? Of course, there will be acceptance this time, but I think the biggest opportunity lies with Hardik Pandya.”
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