Much like his mentor MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya has achieved the unthinkable in this Indian Premier League (IPL) as he has inspired the debutants Gujarat Titans (GT) to the final in their maiden season in the elite T20 tournament.
The way the junior Pandya has captained his side in this edition of the cash-rich league has often led to his comparisons with the legendary India captain.
After Gujarat Titans were bought by CVC Capital Partners, a British private equity and investment firm that owns Tipico, a world-renowned sports betting and gambling company, Hardik Pandya was appointed as the skipper of the side, raising eyebrows in the cricketing circles.
The doubts over the 28-year-old cricketer's leadership, however, were not without a reason. After all, he had never previously been the skipper of a team, including the Ranji Trophy in his career.
But as soon as the competition started, Hardik Pandya began showing his leadership traits and appears to have taken to the role like a fish to water.
Many pundits, including ex-India batter Mohammad Kaif and former Australia opener Matthew Hayden, have lavished praise on him and dubbed him the “best captain of IPL 2022”.
Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan who shifted to the Gujarat Titans from SunRisers Hyderabad this season has also been in awe of Hardik Pandya's ability to read the match situation correctly and take the right decisions correctly.
While Hayden has liked the way Hardik has marshalled his troops on the field, he has also been impressed with the way the all-rounder has taken added responsibility on his shoulders – a sign of a great skipper in the making.
He has been consistent as a batter, having collected 453 runs from 14 outings with the highest score of 87* and a strike rate of nearly 133.
Add to that his five wickets that have mostly come in the powerplays as he opens the bowling for Gujarat, Hardik Pandya has proven to be an almost perfect leader.
“Good cricketers, good leaders in particular keep their best for the best of times and that's Hardik Pandya (for you) right now. He's performing well in all departments. I love his energy and the enthusiasm that he brings to the table,” Hayden told Indian media earlier this month.
Kaif, on the other hand, was asked to share his views about Hardik Pandya's captaincy during a discussion on IPL's official broadcaster Star Sports to which he replied: “On every ball, the guy (Pandya) stays at mid-off and chats to the bowlers, so much synchronization, so much conversation, you could talk about openness or role. In this IPL, there was no great leader than Hardik Pandya, who led his team to victory.”
Yet it is Hardik's calm demeanour, especially under pressure situations that has caught everyone's attention.
Not because Hardik Pandya is known for staying calm when things are not going in his favour but due to his comparisons with Dhoni.
During his decade-long-stint as skipper, Dhoni was nicknamed “Captain Cool” for his ice-cool attitude when the chips were down.
With his face, Dhoni never gave anything away and put the pressure back on the opposition captain by portraying as if everything was hunky-dory for him on the pitch.
After the Gujarat Titans made it to the IPL final this week, even Hardik agreed that his captaincy was inspired by Dhoni.
“Obviously Mahi bhai has played a big role in my life. He is a dear brother, a dear friend, family to me. So, for me, I have learnt a lot of good of things from him. For me it was more about being individually strong which I'm really proud of myself as well, how I have been able to manage all the parts,” he said in a press conference after GT's triumph over Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 1.
“Before the captaincy as well, I always made sure that I approach all the situation in a cool-headed way. Generally, you take better decision that way. For me in my life and in my cricketing journey, it was important to give that 10-second extra rather than rushing in,” Hardik Pandya added.
The good thing about his success is that the Surat-born cricket star hasn't allowed Gujarat's captaincy to affect his natural game and instead much like his mentor Dhoni, it has had a positive impact on his overall performance.
His return to India's T2OI squad last week was well-deserved.
Moreover, with Hardik Pandya bowling his full quota of overs in T20 cricket, he would provide the much-needed balance to Rohit Sharma's Men in Blue, considering they have badly missed an explosive all-rounder in recent days.
Yet what would be interesting to see is where his former Mumbai Indians skipper decides to utilise him in the batting order as Rohit is known for surprising rival teams by shuffling the position of his batters.
Still, it would be Hardik who would have the control over his fate as a string of fine performances against South Africa at home would guarantee him a place in India's 15-man squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia in November.
Follow Us
Subscribe