Not many had kept Gujarat Titans, one of the two debutant franchises, in their top 4 prior to the commencement of IPL 2022. Along with Gujarat, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) also debuted in IPL’s 15th and were led by KL Rahul. Gujarat named local boy Hardik Pandya, not retained by Mumbai Indians (MI), as their captain. The 28-year-old was not only making his comeback at a competitive level post the 2021 T20 World Cup, but the star all-rounder also had a lot to prove.
Hardik entered IPL 15, battling (back) injury concerns. All eyes were on him as the Indian cricket loyalists were glued to the television sets to find out if Hardik the all-rounder will make a return. To many’s delights, Hardik did roll his arms in the initial few weeks only to take caution as the tournament progressed ahead. Eventually, he ended with his best tally with the bat, 487 runs, and eight scalps (out of which three came in the finale). Thus, Hardik surely arrived and announced his comeback as an all-rounder. Nonetheless, what came out of the syllabus was Hardik the captain.
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CAPTAIN HARDIK
Hardik led from the front. He took the responsibility to come up the order and take the crucial No. 4 spot. He played the perfect anchor, bridging the gap between the top and lower-middle order. The young all-rounder picked his bowlers wisely and was content in taking the game deeper by holding one end. Barring a few outbursts, with Md Shami and David Miller, Hardik was at ease even during crucial moments of several games. He spoke with utmost maturity at press conferences or pre and post-match presentations and dealt with things sporting a poker face.
Shubman Gill was given a long rope throughout, despite his numbers going down after the initial few games. Rahul Tewatia and Miller had proper role clarity. Shami was given charge of the pace battery whereas Rashid Khan took care of the spin department. Several unknown names, such as Sai Kishore, Sai Sudharsan, Sai Sudharsan, etc., got chances although the core group was never shuffled or unsettled.
Head coach Ashish Nehra-Hardik ensured a healthy and family-like atmosphere, which reflected on the 22-yard cricket strip as Gujarat kept on winning games from precarious situations. On debut, Gujarat rode on confident and instilled a Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK)-like environment. Thus, Hardik’s maturity was hailed by many.
On the field, he made swift changes when required. He didn’t follow a set template in terms of using his bowlers. Hardik attacked and, at times, relentlessly attacked with his tactics. Above all, he carried himself in a calm and composed manner. Have we seen such a captaincy style before? Of course, we have. No prizes for guessing that Hardik has learned and been inspired from the best in business, i.e. MS Dhoni.
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Growing as a player in Dhoni’s shadow, before the keeper-batter’s retirement, Hardik is surely making heads turn both as a cricketer and captain. He is a utility player and has immense self-belief. Hardik is also a faster learner and has started his captaincy stint with a lot of promise, conducting himself like a young Dhoni who was given captaincy from nowhere. However, he is not going overboard by trying too hard to be the next Captain Cool.
Saba Karim (on TOI’s podcast) -“I think Hardik Pandya, although he spent a lot of time with MS Dhoni, spent a lot of time with Virat Kohli, he has his own brand of captaincy and the way he plays his cricket is so different from what Virat does or what MS Dhoni does. So you learn from so many great individuals who have been part of the side, but eventually, you bring your own leadership style onto the field and I think that’s what he did.”
Fasten your seat belts, by the time Rohit Sharma steps aside as Team India skipper, Hardik might pip others and become the next contender if he continues to follow his own ways and bring into use some of the tricks from Dhoni’s bag.
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