'Ball travels from..': Hardik Pandya hails centurion Tilak Varma
What's the story
Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya has praised the exceptional talent of his teammate Tilak Varma, after his team's recent 99-run victory over Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad. The match marked a much-needed turnaround for the team, ending a four-match losing streak in IPL 2026. Varma was instrumental in the win, scoring an unbeaten 101 off just 45 balls and helping MI set a challenging target of 200 runs.
Captain's advice
Hardik's advice to Tilak before match
Hardik revealed that he had one simple message for Tilak before the match: "You gotta watch the ball and hit the ball irrespective of what [it's doing]." He added, "I genuinely believe the [way] the ball travels from his bat is something really special." This advice seemed to have worked wonders as Varma went on to score his maiden IPL century, hitting eight fours and seven sixes in the process.
Feat
Varma gets to this milestone
Varma gets to this milestone Varma scored an unbeaten 101 off just 45 balls, hitting eight fours and seven sixes. As per Cricbuzz, he became the fourth batter to slam an IPL century while batting at five or lower. The youngster also became the second MI batter after Suryakumar Yadav to slam a hundred against GT.
Captain's reaction
'Much needed for the group, much needed for Tilak'
Hardik couldn't contain his excitement over Varma's performance, saying, "It was about time that he comes and delivers. I think a couple of times, I went so loud that I kind of got dizzy." He emphasized the importance of this win for the group as well as for Tilak himself. "It was much needed for the group, it was much needed for Tilak," he said.
Bowling highlight
Jasprit Bumrah opening the bowling
Jasprit Bumrah also made a mark in the match by opening the bowling for MI for the first time since 2022. He took B Sai Sudharsan's wicket off his very first ball. This was only the seventh time in 151 IPL games and 16th time in 276 T20s that Bumrah opened the bowling. Hardik explained this decision saying they "today we realized that we really want to make an impact with the new ball and no one's better than him."
Match significance
MI break the deadlock against GT in Ahmedabad
The victory was especially sweet for MI as they had a poor record of 0-4 against GT at this venue. "It's always challenging to go away and win. But at the same point of time, [playing in] Ahmedabad has been something very tough for us as Mumbai Indians," Hardik said. He added that they just played good cricket, and it feels special because "it was much needed."