Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Hardik Pandya on Thursday (April 14) clarified that "it was just cramps, nothing else" as he took himself out of the attack in the 18th over of Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) innings after playing a match-winning 52-ball 87* earlier in the game.

Notably, the injury-prone all-rounder is having a great time in the IPL 2022 season. He has scored 228 runs and claimed four wickets from the five matches so far.

See Also: Cricket fraternity lauds Hardik Pandya’s captain's knock as his 87* takes GT to 192/4

However, Hardik walking back into the dugout in the middle of his third over against RR left the fans worried.

"A lot of hard work for me tonight. It was just cramps, nothing serious," Pandya said at the post-match presentation.

It was a second consecutive fifty plus score for the Titans captain, who is aiming to reclaim his place in the national side. He is batting higher up the order at No. 4, which allows him to pace his innings.

"I am not used to batting this long. It gives me a lot of time. I can calculate and take risk. The last game it did not come off but today I made sure I did. I have been in this situation where I have taken the role of scoring 12-ball 30. It is difficult but now at four I can control the game," said Hardik.

Talking about leadership responsibility, he added: "Captaincy is fun and it allows me to take responsibility and be the flag-bearer. The group carries one another. My motto was I wanted everyone to be happy."

Gujarat Titans will face Chennai Super Kings in their next match at MCA Stadium, Pune on April 17.

(With PTI inputs)