IPL 2024: Hardik Pandya says 'he could feel the atmosphere' after getting booed in Ahmedabad

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After losing out to his former side Gujarat Titans by six runs in a close encounter at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya said he enjoyed an felt the atmosphere at the venue during the latest IPL 2024 match on Sunday (March 24).

"It feels good to be back because this is one stadium where you can enjoy and feel the atmosphere quite lively and obviously the crowd was full and they got a good game as well," Hardik Pandya said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Pandya was booed by the Ahmedabad crowd, making it clear that the fans of the franchise haven't forgiven him for switches sides to Mumbai Indians before IPL 2024 in one of the transfer moves of the season.

The 30-year-old all-rounder almost won the game with the bat in the closing stages as he hammered a six and fours in the last over when 19 runs were needed from six balls. Pandya, however, was out the next ball as he hit a quick bouncer by Umesh Yadav straight to Rahul Tewatia. Umesh got the wicket of Piyush Chawla very next ball to put the game out of Mumbai's reach.

"Obviously we backed ourselves to chase those 42 runs but it was one of those days when we see the score quite less compared to what it could have been in five overs, I think we lost a little bit of momentum there," said Hardik Pandya.

Setting a challenging target of 175 runs, the Titans' top-order batsmen displayed commendable form, laying a solid foundation for their team's innings. Despite facing a formidable Mumbai Indians bowling attack, they managed to post a competitive total.

In response, the Mumbai Indians fought tooth and nail till the last over and at one stage looked like in command of the chase when Rohit Sharma (43) and Dewald Brevis (46) added 77 runs for the third wicket.

However, the Titans' bowlers held their nerve in the crucial moments, restricting the opposition's scoring opportunities and ultimately securing a narrow 6-run win. Death bowling spells by Rashid Khan, Mohit Sharma, Spencer Johnson and Umesh proved crucial in the win for Gujarat Titans.