IPL 2022: 'Same Thing Had Happened To Rohit Sharma': Sunil Gavaskar's Ultimate Praise For 'Terrific' Hardik Pandya

Updated - 31 May 2022, 05:41 PM

Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya. (Photo: IPL)

Relatively few had any data about Hardik Pandya the captain, similar as many anticipated the least from his side, Gujarat Titans. In any case, both figured out how to daze the part, with the sublime Indian Premier League (IPL) title pull on Sunday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets to lift their first IPL prize.

Furthermore, former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar was enormously intrigued with Hardik’s captaincy and all-around show all through the competition.

Hardik’s return as an all-rounder was the greatest inquiry before the beginning of the competition. He had not played a solitary cricket match since the 2021 T20 World Cup and there were greater questions encompassing his bowling.

Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya. (Photo: IPL)

Selection Committee Will Be Delighted By Hardik Pandya’s IPL Performance: Sunil Gavaskar

Hardik covered off a splendid season as an all-rounder. He wrapped up with 487 runs in the competition at 44.27 and a strike rate of 131.26 while likewise picking eight wickets at an economy rate of 7.27. While he didn’t bowl through the second phase of the season, he got back with his career-best 3 for 17 in the final helping Gujarat in confining Rajasthan to only 130 for nine.

Hardik Pandya. Photo-IPL
Hardik Pandya. Photo-IPL

“The selection committee will be delighted with the way he has come through. Everyone had seen him batting but nobody had seen him bowl. Now he is coming and bowling four overs sometimes or three overs on the trot which shows that he is 100 per cent fit. But yes, he has got to be managed well.

When you have a back injury as serious as that where you have a surgery, you got to be managed. But the fact that he is coming and bowling at over 140, which means he was letting it rip,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports after the IPL final.

Sunil Gavaskar Impressed By Hardik Pandya’s Shot Selection

The little master was profoundly intrigued with Hardik’s shot selection and thought that very much like Rohit Sharma, Hardik’s exhibition as a batter improved with the captaincy.

Hardik Pandya (Image Credits: IPL)
Hardik Pandya (Image Credits: IPL)

“Also the shot selection he showed as a batter. He wasn’t throwing his bat at just about everything. It was absolutely terrific. In this game you tend to look for six and get out but generally with captaincy, just like it did with Rohit Sharma, the short selection became better.

Rohit, too like Hardik was brilliant, but the moment he got the captaincy, he started scoring 70, 80, 100s as well,” he said.

Also Read: IPL 2022 Final: Jos Buttler Goes Past David Warner’s 2016 IPL Mark To Finish Bumper 2022 Season

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Gujarat Titans (GT) Hardik Pandya IPL 2022 Rohit Sharma Sunil Gavaskar