"Itna ego hai?" - Hardik Pandya brutally trolled on social media for taking the new ball ahead of Jasprit Bumrah in GT vs MI match of IPL 2024

Skipper Hardik Pandya opened the bowling for Mumbai Indians (MI) in their ongoing first match of this year's Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) against Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad on Sunday, March 24.

While Pandya has bowled well with the new ball in the past in the IPL, several fans questioned his decision to take the ball ahead of pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. To make matters worse, the all-rounder failed to get it right, conceding two boundaries in the first over.

Pandya gave away 11 runs in his first over. He failed to make amends in the second over as well, conceding nine runs. The MI captain was trolled by many on social media for backing himself over Bumrah and other frontline seamers.

Here are some of the top reactions on X:

Jasprit Bumrah finally came into the attack to bowl the fourth over. He struck straightaway, sending Wriddhiman Saha packing with a vicious yorker.

It is worth mentioning that Hardik Pandya is making a return to competitive cricket in IPL 2024. He was on the sidelines after sustaining an ankle injury during the 2023 ODI World Cup.

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"We gel well together as a team" - Tilak Varma opens up on Hardik Pandya taking over MI captaincy reins from Rohit Sharma

MI batter Tilak Varma recently spoke about his experience playing under Hardik Panyda's leadership. He suggested that the team environment within the MI dressing room has been very good ahead of the edition.

Varma also mentioned that former captain Rohit Sharma will be there to guide Pandya and the other members of the Mumbai side. Speaking at a press conference ahead of MI's opening match, he said:

"Rohit has been there for us and Hardik bhai has also been there for us. It's been the same, just following the basics. Stategy-wise, everything going well. It's the same thing, nothing new. I debuted under him (Hardik Pandya) when I played for India, so it's going well. Hardik is the captain, Rohit is always there for Hardik and the team. We gel well together as a team."

The five-time champions Mumbai qualified for the playoffs last year after finishing fourth in the standings. While they beat Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by 81 runs in the Eliminator, their campaign ended with a 62-run defeat to GT.