Hardik Pandya's all-round performance has been one of the most outstanding aspects of the Gujarat Titans' (GT) IPL 2022 season thus far. The seasoned right-handed all-rounder has taken up the task of batting at the critical number four for the franchise, but it is his bowling performance that has delighted the Indian cricket fans.
Former Indian cricketers Aakash Chopra, Irfan Pathan, and Sunil Gavaskar speaking about Pandya's strong performance on the Star Sports' show Cricket Live, stated that the GT skipper has learned the right lessons from MS Dhoni and is now putting them into practice properly in the current season.
"I think Hardik obviously treats him (MS Dhoni) as his mentor, he's very close to MS. The number at which he bats and the role that he plays, nobody has played it better than Dhoni in the history of white-ball cricket. He's learnt the right lessons from MS. These are the things that we don't even have to be told, we just observe. When we are in the company of greatness, we try and take little pieces and it shapes our lives. And that's what we are seeing with Hardik," Aakash Chopra said on Star Sports' show Cricket Live.
"He didn't play a lot of cricket before the IPL because he was trying to get fully fit with all the problems he had due to the injury. (Now) Look at the discipline he's showing in his batting. He's batting well in the powerplay and making full use of the field restrictions, he's doing exceedingly well in the field. So basically, that thinking cap is on; and once that happens your game just goes up." said former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar.
Irfan Pathan, former India pacer, claims that captaincy is bringing out the best in Hardik and that the world is seeing a new version of him.
Pathan said, "This is a new Hardik Pandya. This is a better version of him. It was nice to see the situations in which he has played this season. The good thing about Hardik is that he is batting responsibly at No. 4. You don't get to take too many chances after wickets fall early but Hardik played didn't shy away from playing big strokes early in his innings for GT if he got the looseness from the bowlers. Whether it is Team India or Gujarat Titans, Hardik is the most suited batsman at number four. This is because he can take the responsibility."
