Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya performed brilliantly against Rajasthan Royals in the final IPL 2022 hrs Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday. The flamboyant all-rounder took the responsibility of taking the wicket on his own shoulder in the big-ticket finale. He took three big wickets from Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer to restrict Rajasthan Royals to a below-par score of 130/9 in 20 overs.
Pandya made his debut in the ninth over when Rajasthan Royals stars Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson were partnering together. Samson, 28, dismissed Samson in his first over as the RR skipper failed to execute the pull shot and was caught by R Sai Kishore. Buttler, who has been in excellent form this season, also failed to deal with Pandya and became his second victim. Whereas on the final ball of his spell, he overtook Hetmyer as short deliveries once again did the trick for Pandya.
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Many former cricketers heaped praise on Pandya for his sensational spell in the big ticket finale.
Sanjay Manjrekar, who is very vocal about his opinions, said that “Talent koot koot ke bhara hai is bande mein. Hardik Pandya take a bow!”
Talent koot koot ke bhara hai is bande mein. Hardik Pandya take a bow!
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) 29 May 2022
While veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was also impressed with Hardik, the bowler who stole the show on Sunday night.
He tweeted, “Hardik bowler is back..What a wonderful captain @hardikpandya7 @gujarat_titans.”
Hardik bowler is back.. what magic captainReply to @Team_Twitter @gujarat_titans
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) 29 May 2022
Hardik to RR Tonight #gtvrr #IPLFINAL pic.twitter.com/nxiQSZpnHO
— Wasim Jaffer (@wasim jaffer14) 29 May 2022
Brilliant spell from Hardik in this big game. The biggest fish of the match caught now. #GTvsRR
—Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) 29 May 2022
Good bowling changes, good field placement and great execution of plans.
Hardik Pandya is proving to be a great captain in this year’s IPL. #GTvsRR #TATAIPL2022 pic.twitter.com/LjAj2gz63i
— Amit Mishra (@MishiAmit) 29 May 2022
Hardik finished his spell with figures of 3/17 in his four overs, while Rashid Khan (1/18) also took his team to the big stage in what was sure to be a title in their first season.
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Yashasvi Jaiswal started with seven dot deliveries before hitting Mohammed Shami for a boundary at mid-off, followed by a vigorous drive-over cover for six. He hit Yash Dayal for a six over long leg but the very next ball was hit for a four by the left-arm pacer, leaving the left-hander cramped for room and taking the bridge to deep square leg.
Despite the Jaiswal blitz, Gujarat kept Rajasthan on a tight leash in the power-play, with Lockie Ferguson bowling the fastest delivery of the tournament, with a wide yorker past the bat of an attentive butler. After Rashid Khan leaked no boundaries in his first two overs, including a few turns from his googly, Buttler made full use of Ferguson’s width to break back-to-back boundaries.
However, after Hardik came into the attack, Rajasthan Royals lost wickets at regular intervals and struggled to score big runs.
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