IPL 2022 Final: When You Have Leadership Qualities, It Opens Door For Honours At National Level – Sunil Gavaskar Backs Hardik Pandya To Lead India

Legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar was highly impressed with the leadership quality of the Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Hardik Pandya in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.

Under the leadership of premier all-rounder Hardik Pandya, the Gujarat Titans managed to win the Indian Premier League title in their debut season.

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In the final of the tournament at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday the Hardik Pandya and Co. defeat Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan Royals by 7 wickets to clinch the title.

Skipper Hardik led from the front, picking 3 wickets and scoring crucial 34 runs to bag the Player of the Match award in the summit clash. Meanwhile, the thing that pleasantly surprised the entire cricket fraternity was the leadership skill of the all-rounder.

While talking about Hardik after the IPL 2022 final, Gavaskar hailed the GT captain for his leadership quality and said that nobody knew about his captaincy aspect of the game.

“Yes definitely. Not just my estimation, but everybody’s estimation (Hardik’s reputation as a leader has gone up). This was an aspect of his game which nobody had too much information about,” Sunil Gavaskar told Star Sports.

“We all knew what he could do with the bat, what he could do with the ball, but there was just a little bit of concern before the start of the season about whether he would be able to bowl his full quota of 4 overs. He has done that, he has shown that. That all-rounder aspect is done, and everybody is happy.

“But this now, the way he has led the team, the way he has got them together, the way he has got them to gel together means he has got leadership qualities,” he said.

Not saying Hardik Pandya is the next in line, But for the selection committee to have that option is fantastic – Sunil Gavaskar

Gavaskar further opined that the good leadership quality in a player opens the door for him to lead the national team. However, he added that Hardik is not next in the line for India captaincy but having him as an option is good for BCCI selectors.

“When you have leadership qualities, it automatically opens the door for honours at the national level to be able to captain the Indian national team in the near future.

“So that’s exciting, there are 3-4 other names in the ring. I am not saying he is the next in line. But for the selection committee to have that option is fantastic,” he added.

Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya, after the match, said that they wanted to create a legacy.

“This is going to be a special one because we spoke about creating a legacy and making sure this is for the generation to come, everyone will remember that this was the team who started this journey and the first year [for us in the IPL] to win the championship is very special,” Hardik told Star Sports.

Also Read: GT vs RR: Twitter Erupts As Newcomers Gujarat Titans Win IPL 2022 Title By Defeating Inaugural Champions Rajasthan Royals

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