IPL 2022: GT mentor Gary Kirsten heaps praise on Hardik Pandya, reveals his uniqueness as a captain

Hardik Pandya led the Gujarat Titans (GT) to their maiden title in IPL 2022 final, beating the one-time winners Rajasthan Royals (RR) by seven wickets at the iconic Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday evening (May 29). 

Hardik & Co. were asked to bowl first and the 28-year-old skipper was right on the money as he ended a superb with the ball, finishing with 4-0-17-3 before also chipping in with the bat to help his side chase down a moderate 131-run target with 11 balls to spare. After the terrific win in their first-ever IPL season, many former cricketers and experts of the game have heaped praise on Hardik’s leadership qualities. Gary Kirsten, GT’s mentor and former Indian coach, also lauded Hardik and revealed his uniqueness as a leader.

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Speaking to the broadcasters after the finale, the former South African international said, “He (Hardik) has been fantastic. I loved working with him. He is a high-profile guy in India, but he has been incredibly humble and willing to learn as a leader and get engaged with his players, which I think is really, really important as a leader. Especially in the IPL and in India, he has been really engaging with all his players. He wants to help them to be a better version of themselves. He has come in and played with real responsibility, which is very different to what we have seen in other IPLs. He has batted beautifully.”

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Hardik ended with his best-ever season with the bat, amassing 487 runs — fourth-most overall — and also chipped in with eight scalps in the recently-concluded IPL 15 season. He will now shift his focus to representing India in their forthcoming home T20I series versus South Africa, starting on June 09.