The reaction from Hardik Pandya after David Miller’s hat-trick of sixes said it all. Throughout the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, Pandya has won praise for the way he has led his troops with a calm demeanor. Pandya hugged Miller and his expression suggested he had the belief of making it to the final after his team finished top in the league stage.
When he was appointed the skipper, many questioned the move from Gujarat Titans – wondering if it was an emotional decision since Pandya hails from Baroda. For somebody who at times appears overconfident, Pandya has time and again praised his bhai MS Dhoni – from whom he has learned the tricks of the trade in terms of captaincy.
From flying to Dhoni’s farmhouse to celebrate the Ranchi superstar’s birthday to picking his brains on the cricket field, Dhoni certainly has a role to play in Pandya emerging as a fine skipper in the 15th edition of the T20 league.
After Gujarat’s win over Rajasthan Royals (RR), Pandya once again highlighted how he has learned many good things from Dhoni.
“Obviously Mahi bhai has played a big role in my life. He is a dear brother, a dear friend, fam-ily to me. So, for me, I have learnt a lot of good of things from him. For me it was more about being individually strong which I’m really proud of myself as well, how I have been able to manage all the parts,” Pandya said at the post-match press conference.
In terms of leading from the front, Pandya has left no stone unturned in delivering the goods for Gujarat Titans. With the bat, he has had his best season ever with 453 runs to his name at an average of 45.30. Even with the ball, Pandya made a statement by restricting runs and claiming 5 wickets.
After recovering from his injury, Pandya’s new avatar has become the talking point where he has done a brilliant job on the field as the GT captain.
Speaking about his calm demeanor, Pandya said, “Before the captaincy as well, I always made sure that I approach all the situation in a cool-headed way. Generally, you take better decision that way. For me in my life and in my cricketing journey, it was important to give that 10-second extra rather than rushing in.”
While he has maintained his calm for the most part of the tournament, being human, there were also occasions where he lost his cool, one of them being at him being unhappy with senior Indian pacer Mohammed Shami. However, Shami too was impressed with Pandya – the captain, and said he has noticed many changes in Pandya ever since he became the skipper.
“I had told him to control his reactions on the ground as the entire world watches cricket. It’s very important for a leader to be like that as he is the head of the family. It’s very important to be sensible and react as per the situation. And he has performed his duties as a skipper extremely well. He has kept the entire unit together. I have noticed many changes in him after he became a captain,” Shami earlier said in a virtual interaction.
In the fag end of his IPL career, Dhoni has been mentoring several youngsters, many of whom have emerged as captaincy material. Pandya is certainly one of them and one-win away from what would make ‘Mahi bhai’ extremely proud of his younger brother.
