Hardik Pandya, the captain of Gujarat Titans (GT), has never shied away from sharing his adulation for former India skipper MS Dhoni. The duo share a special bond, and Pandya has always considered Dhoni as an idol. He has been a fan of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper and has also reflected upon the learnings.
Pandya, as a captain, is pretty calm. He likes to keep things simple, and he is not known for showing aggression on the field often, traits that are seen in ‘captain cool’ MS Dhoni. Pandya will be leading defending champions GT against Dhoni’s CSK in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League 2023 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on May 23.
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Ahead of the crucial contest, Gujarat Titans shared a video of Pandya sharing his relationship with Dhoni where he said that he has always seen MSD as a friend, as a brother, and also went on to say that only a proper devil can hate the 41-year-old.
Explaining the same, Hardik Pandya said, “A lot of people think Mahi is serious and all that. For me, I crack jokes and I don’t see him as Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Obviously, I have learned a lot of things from him, a lot of positive things, which I have learned from him just while watching, not even much talking.”
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He further added, “But for me, he is just my dear friend, dear brother, who I do pranks, who I chill, and I will always be a Mahendra Singh Dhoni fan and for so many fans out there and so many cricket lovers. You need to be a proper devil to hate Mahendra Singh Dhoni.”
Captain. Leader. Legend.@msdhoni is an emotion 💙 Here’s a special tribute from @hardikpandya7 to the one and only Thala ahead of a special matchday in Chennai! 🤝#GTvCSK | #PhariAavaDe | #TATAIPL Playoffs 2023 pic.twitter.com/xkrJETARbJ
— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) May 23, 2023
Speaking of the Gujarat-Chennai encounter, the two teams have locked horns thrice in IPL history, with Pandya’s team winning on all occasions. Ever since Gujarat Titans’ inception in the cash-rich league, CSK has never managed to defeat them but would be hoping to turn the tables around at their home ground. While Gujarat, on the other hand, would be hoping to extend their domination.
