Last Update: May 29, 2023, 09:08 AM IST
Hardik Pandya is aiming to become the third captain after MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma to win the IPL title. (pic credit; sportzpix)
Hardik Pandya has been impressive as a captain, winning the IPL title with Gujarat Titans in 2022 and then leading them to their second consecutive final in the current season.
For the second consecutive season, Gujarat Titans have entered the IPL final and will be fighting for the trophy. The franchise made their debut last season and produced an impressive campaign to top the regular season, defeating Rajasthan Royals in the first qualifier and again in the summit clash to become champions.
To prove that the performance was not a fluke, GT again topped the points table to advance to the playoffs, lost to Chennai Super Kings in the first qualifier and defeated Mumbai Indians to make it into the title fight.
Individual players progressing through the season, opener Shubman Gill’s red-hot form, the sharpness of his bowling attack has seen him occupy the top-three spots in the list of leading wicket-takers for IPL 2023 . Another impressive campaign.
Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar believes a lot of the credit for GT’s current state must go to their skipper Hardik Pandya who has created a ‘happy’ environment for his teammates to flourish.
Gavaskar compared Pandya’s calmness with that of the legendary CSK skipper MS Dhoni.
“When he (Pandya) was captaining for the first time last year, nobody knew what to expect because he has been one of the most exciting and exciting cricketers around. But that exciting part, we’ve seen last year. The calmness he brings to the team is reminiscent of MSD. It is a happy team, which we see with CSK as well. Hardik has to take a lot of credit for this,” Gavaskar said. star sports,
Pandya has repeatedly talked about his admiration for Dhoni, calling him his ‘dear brother’ and claiming that one has to be a ‘proper devil’ to hate the former India captain.
Pandya and Dhoni will square off for the third time this season when their teams clash for the title tonight.
“He (Hardik) has been very open about his admiration and affection for MSD, like everyone who has followed MSD’s career. When he goes out for the toss, he is very friendly and smiling. But when it comes to the match, it will be a completely different atmosphere. Gavaskar said, it is a great opportunity from Hardik Pandya to show how quickly he has learned.
