‘With his Midas touch, he can be an outstanding captain..’: Ex-England captain praises Hardik Pandya

Fair to say everyone is taking note of Hardik Pandya – the captain. After leading his IPL franchise, Gujarat Titans to successive finals in two years since getting inducted into the league, Hardik has made the right noises as a leader. Upon delivering both as a player and a skipper in Qualifier 2 against Mumbai Indians, Hardik has pressed his case as a future white-ball captain of the Indian team.

With nine wins from 14 matches this season, the defending champions, Gujarat Titans, bagged the first place. Though they lost Qualifier 1 against Chennai Super Kings by 15 runs, they came back stronger in their game against Mumbai Indians – winning the all-important clash by a massive 62-run margin.

Opener Shubman Gill smashed his third IPL century in four innings to help GT book the final ticket for the second straight time. 

Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya, who despite not excelling with either bat or ball throughout the season, ensured his role as a captain, keeps everyone talking about him. His bowling changes against Mumbai impressed all, and Michael Vaughan was no different.

Speaking on Cricbuzz as an IPL expert, Vaughan made a huge statement regarding Hardik’s future.

A former England captain, Vaughan feels Hardik’s Midas touch makes him a hot favourite to be an outstanding leader and that, with his calmness and his style of play, he is likely to succeed in this role as well.

“Hardik Pandya is going to captain India. I can convince all of you listening to this, that he is going to captain India. I don’t know when it is going to be. He will captain India in white-ball cricket.”

“He has got the calmness; he has got the game. I’m worried about his injury to his back, but he has just got that persona right in the middle. You can see his body language. The way he manoeuvres his field calmly. The way he makes his bowling changes. Yes, he has got two outstanding spinners and Mohammed Shami, who has been the best seamer in the tournament. You need bowlers as a captain,” Vaughan showered praises on him while speaking on Cricbuzz. 

“He has got that Midas touch you need to be an outstanding white-ball captain,” Vaughan added.

Hardik’s GT ready to spoil CSK’s party

The two teams who played the IPL 2023 opener in Ahmedabad on March 31st are up against each other in the season’s finale at the same venue. While Gujarat’s head-to-head record against the former champions keeps their noses in front ahead of the finale, MS Dhoni’s CSK’s late resurgence will also keep the hosts on their feet.

Will Hardik’s Gujarat Titans pull off the miracle and beat his idol MS Dhoni in the summit clash, or will Chennai lift the trophy for the joint-record fifth time?