Mumbai Indians (MI), the five-time champions, were eliminated from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 after suffering a comprehensive 62-run defeat against Gujarat Titans (GT) at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday.

Shubman Gill, in exceptional form, played a stunning innings of 129 runs off 60 balls, including seven boundaries and ten sixes, leading GT to victory. Gill had a fortunate escape when he was dropped on 30 by Tim David, which proved to be a significant let-off as he went on to score his third century of the season. The incident occurred during the final over of the power play when MI captain Rohit Sharma handed the ball to Chris Jordan.

While attempting a diving catch to his right, David failed to complete the catch, offering Gill a crucial lifeline. It was a fuller-length delivery that Gill lofted with an on-drive. Despite his efforts, David couldn't hold on to the catch.

Furthermore, David had a poor outing with the bat as well. MI faced a batting collapse and heavily relied on the explosive Australian cricketer to guide them with his aggressive batting. However, batting at number seven, David was dismissed leg-before-wicket (LBW) while attempting to pull a good-length delivery from Rashid Khan.

After MI's defeat, fans criticized David, holding him responsible for the loss. Many supporters expressed nostalgia for West Indies' explosive all-rounder Kieron Pollard, who retired from the IPL, as he had bailed MI out of similar situations in the past.

Several fans took jabs at David and reminisced about Pollard's impact on various social media platforms. One fan wrote, "Dropped crucial catch of Gill when he was on 30, failed in batting also. Thank you, Tim David."

Another fan tweeted, "The match would have been different if Pollard had played. To be honest, Mumbai Indians really need to move on from Tim David. Next season, give this guy the chance he deserves. Tim David is really overrated."

David's inconsistent form this year prompted Rohit to promote young and inexperienced batter Vishnu Vinod ahead of him in the batting order. While some experts criticized Rohit's decision, the MI captain defended his strategy.

Vishnu, who came on as a concussion substitute to keep wickets after Ishan Kishan was accidentally struck on the head by teammate Chris Jordan, could only manage five runs off seven balls at a crucial juncture. He was sent to bat ahead of the big-hitting David after Cameron Green (30) was dismissed in the 12th over.

Cricket experts felt that David should have come out to bat earlier, allowing the Australian to settle in and unleash his big shots during the death overs. However, David came to the crease in the 15th over after Suryakumar Yadav (79) and Vishnu were both dismissed in that over by Mohit Sharma.

Rohit, however, expressed his confidence in Vishnu's abilities and refrained from passing judgment on his performance.

"We have given David a role throughout the season, and in certain situations, he has to bat. Vishnu is a good player, and I have personally seen that. I am not going to judge anything," stated Rohit.