David backs Pandya's scoring rate, calls him 'glue' that holds batting together

Mumbai Indians allrounder Tim David on Wednesday defended skipper Hardik Pandyas scoring rate in the ongoing IPL 2024 saying he has been the glue which is holding the batting together for the fivetime winnersEven though Pandya has struck at 13846 to get 108 runs in four matches so far while batting at different slots his failure to go ballistic in the middle as well as lower order has been noticeable this seasonIn the first game against his former side Gujarat Titans Pandya succumbed to pressure after a fourball 11 in a tricky chase whereas in the next the MI skipper could only manage a 20ball 24 at No 5 against Sunrisers Hyderabad while chasing a monumental 278Pandya did a commendable job on a tough pitch against Rajasthan Royals to topscore with a 21ball 34 in a lowscoring game but his 33ball 39 3x4s 1x6s was in stark contrast to the other MI batters who went hammer and tongs to help the team record its highest total of 2345 at home in the last matchWe have had conversations about how we have played Hardik has been playing a really important job for our team David told the media during Mumbai Indians training session at the Wankhede Stadium on the eve of their IPL 2024 clash against Royal Challengers BengaluruLook at the last match vs Delhi Capitals we struggled really hard for momentum towards the back end against Delhi Capitals Hardik played a perfect innings that set the platform for myself and Romario Shepherd to go on with at the end David addedWe got ourselves to a platform and he got that one ball that he could have hit for six He hit it high on the bat and missed the middle and he is out and that is how the game goesAlso ReadChief selector Agarkar lauds Kohli as T20 World Cup draws closeThe Australian allrounder said having an extra batter in the lineup with the impact player rule in place could allow some batting lineups like Kolkata Knight Riders to go boom or bust but Pandya holds the innings togetherWith the extra freedom of having an extra batter there is maybe a little bit less responsibility Some people are playing with a little bit more freedom or throwing caution to the wind It goes both ways KKR the way they have been playing they have been scoring a lot of runsThe other night they were playing the same way against Chennai Super Kings They were looking to go big or bust a bit They fall in a heap in the middle orderLike I said at the start we had Hardik playing a middle order role in the last match He was the glue that held us together and gave us a chance to play with freedom at the back end he addedHardik has been phenomenal in the way he has been playing for the team That is what we need at some point Sometimes it is me sometimes it is other guysDavid said the team has absolutely no concerns with the way their skipper has batted so farYou could go look at the first game where Hardik hit two boundaries in his first two balls We have absolutely full faith in him We know his power we know how good he is When he gets into that situation he is going to win games for us David addedWith agency inputs