Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya praised young Ashwani Kumar for his outstanding performance in his debut IPL match, where he excelled by taking four wickets against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai. Following two initial losses, Hardik and the team management made the courageous decision to include the rookie Ashwani in the playing XI, and the young left-arm bowler justified their trust by achieving a four-wicket haul.

The 23-year-old pacer dismissed key KKR batsmen, including Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, and Manish Pandey, leading to the defending champions being bowled out for just 116 runs. Mumbai secured their first victory of the season with an 8-wicket win over KKR.

Hardik acknowledged the efforts of the MI scouts for identifying talents like Ashwani during the off-season. He also shared how the left-arm pacer made a strong impression on him and the management during a practice match.

“Firstly, it’s all thanks to the scouts. All MI scouts have traveled extensively to discover these young talents. During a practice game, it was evident that he possessed speed and late swing, along with a unique bowling action, and being a left-hander added to his appeal,” Hardik stated in the post-match presentation.

‘Way Ashwani took that wicket of Russell…’

The 31-year-old expressed his admiration for Ashwani's performance, highlighting his impressive catch of Quinton de Kock at the start of the game and his significant wicket of Andre Russell at the end.

“The wicket of Russell was pivotal, and it was particularly impressive to see Ashwani make that catch of Quinton. Witnessing a fast bowler leap that high was remarkable. As I mentioned earlier, it’s encouraging to see everyone contribute as we begin the tournament,” he remarked.

Reflecting on MI's inaugural victory of the season, Pandya was thrilled with his team's collective effort against the defending champions, which helped set their campaign back on course.

“It’s incredibly satisfying to secure a win, especially on our home ground. The way we achieved it as a team, with contributions from everyone, brings me great joy. It’s always a challenge to single out one player, but our team is well-structured with the players we support. This pitch provided a bit more assistance, and we believed Ashwani could deliver the performance he did,” the MI captain stated.

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