IPL 2022: Captaincy brought out best of Hardik: Gavaskar

Bengaluru, May 11: Former cricketers Sunil Gavaskar, Matthew Hayden and Harbhajan Singh lavished praise on Hardik Pandya after the Baroda all-rounder guided Gujarat Titans (GT) to the play-offs of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season.

IPL debutants GT became the first team to qualify for the play-offs in IPL 2022 on the back of scintillating performances in the league stage.

Titans, under the leadership of Pandya, humbled fellow debutants Lucknow Super Giants by 62 runs and confirmed a play-off berth in style.

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With nine wins and 18 points in their kitty, GT are comfortably placed on the top of IPL 2022 points table and they also look to favourites to finish in the top two.

Proving the cricket pundits wrong with their game, GT have been a team to beat in IPL 2022 with Pandya emerging as one of the best captains so far.

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Without any prior experience in captaincy, Pandya proved the naysayers wrong with his leadership skills and street smart decisions.

He is making the right calls at the right time and backing his players to the hilt, which are great signs for any leader.

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The way Pandya is marshalling his troops is simply amazing and as a result, the team sees a new match-winner in every game.

Pandya has impressed with his astute captaincy moves and Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar reckons the added responsibility of leading the franchise is bringing the best out of the star all-rounder.

Speaking on Cricket Live show on Star Sports, the official broadcaster of IPL 2022, Gavaskar said, "Hat's off to the hard work he's been putting in. He didn't play a lot of cricket before the IPL because he was recovering from an injury.

"Now look at the discipline he's showing in his batting. He's batting well in the powerplay and making full use of the field restrictions, he's doing exceedingly well in the field and getting better with every game."

Gavaskar's sentiments were echoed by ex-Australian opener Matthew Hayden.

"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," said Hayden, who had a stint with Chennai Super Kings in IPL .

Pandya has so far amassed 344 runs in 11 games at an impressive strike rate of 131.80. He has has notched up three half-centuries in IPL 2022 and is leading by example in all three departments.

Ex-India cricketer Harbhajan Singh, who has shared Mumbai Indians dressing room with Pandya believes the Baroda all-rounder requires a breathing space which he is getting from GT think tank.

"A player like Hardik should have the freedom to work on his game, and he's getting that at GT. For me, he has been the best captain in this season so far. He's taking responsibility. Now he's bowling his full quota of four overs. He's leading the team from the front and has made a habit of scoring consistently with his bat. He always looks to motivate his team-mates."