IPL 2023 final between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans was a thrilling one that finished on the final ball. Mohit Sharma was bowling the final over and Ravindra Jadeja was on the strike. CSK needed 10 runs on the final two balls when Jadeja sealed the deal with a six and a four. However, batting greats Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag slammed Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya for the team’s defeat as well.

While speaking to India Today, Sunil Gavaskar fumed at Hardik Pandya for distracting Mohit Sharma in the last two balls. He also pointed out to the incident where water was sent down to Mohit before the penultimate ball before Hardik came in to have a discussion with him on both deliveries. The veteran also feels that it wasn’t required when Mohit was performing to his plan.

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“He bowled that first 3-4 deliveries absolutely brilliantly. Then for some strange reason some water was sent to him, in the middle of an over. Then Hardik came and spoke to him. When the bowler is in that rhythm and he is mentally also there, nobody should have said anything to him. Nothing at all. From a distance just say well bowled. Going to him, talking to him, that wasn’t the right thing to do. Suddenly Mohit was looking here and there,” he said.

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Virender Sehwag, in conversation with Cricbuzz, opined on the same saying that Hardik Pandya’s act “disturbed” Mohit Sharma. “When some is bowling well and is delivering with yorkers, why will you go and have a word with him? He knows that the batter needs 10 from 2 and that he needs to stick with yorkers. Then why will you waste his time? Had Mohit been hit for runs, then he could have gone and had a word, but when the bowler is doing his job you want to get done with the over quickly. It also could be that the captain might have come with a concern about whether the bowler would want any changes in the field for the last two balls. But still, if I would have been there, I wouldn’t have disturbed him,” he said.