Experienced all-rounder Hardik Pandya has given the credit to the Mumbai Indians (MI) for his stunning success as the skipper of the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). It is also noteworthy that, Pandya has played for Mumbai Indians for seven years after making his debut in 2015. But after a poor season in 2021, Mumbai released him before the mega auction. However, Gujarat Titans picked him up prior to the mega auction of IPL 2022 and he was appointed as the captain as well.
On the other hand, Gujarat Titans have become the first team to qualify for the 2022 IPL playoffs. On Sunday, May 15, they cemented their place in the top two after beating four-time IPL champions, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), by seven wickets as well.
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“You don’t get extra points for finishing early, so it is important to win. (On his captaincy), I did alright because having played in the previous franchise where a lot of responsibility was given to the players. I have always enjoyed responsibility where it kind of gives me ownership of things where I can control. And I feel where I have batted throughout my career has given me a lot of idea about how the game is going, which kind of bowler will be important in certain situations. Playing for a different franchise and doing what I have done in the past has helped me in my captaincy,” Hardik Pandya was quoted as saying after the match.
However, Hardik Pandya also praised Gujarat Titans’ head coach Ashish Nehra for his contribution to the success of the team as well. Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans will play their last league game against Faf du Plessis-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Thursday, May 19 as well at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. After that, they will play in Qualifier 1 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata also.
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“Ashu pa (Ashish Nehra) and I have very similar mindsets. We connect without saying much. We’ll see if any player requires rest, otherwise we need to keep the momentum. The core group needs to be intact. If fast bowlers need rest, we’ll rotate otherwise it’ll stay the same,” Hardik Pandya concluded.
