Hardik Pandya wrote his name in the history books on Sunday (May 29) by leading the Gujarat Titans (GT) to the 2022 Indian Premier League title. The Titans are the first time since the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the inaugural season in 2008 to lift the trophy in their debut season.
Hardik led his side with example and won the Man of the Match award in the final vs RR. The star all-rounder took three wickets with the ball which included the opposition’s biggest names in Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, and Shimron Hetmyer.
Later with the bat, he ensured GT come out of a tricky situation with ease as he put up a 63-run partnership with opening batter Shubman Gill for the third wicket. Hardik scored 34 runs in 30 balls to put his team on the path to victory before falling prey to Yuzvendra Chahal.
After spending months on the sidelines due to injury, GT’s title-winning campaign is a huge moment of redemption for Hardik. Post him becoming the fourth Indian captain to lift the elusive trophy, his childhood coach recalled one of the darkest periods in the ex-Mumbai Indians (MI) star’s career when he was suspended from the Indian due to a controversy generated by his appearance on popular talk show ‘Koffee with Karan.’
Hardik’s ex-coach Jitender Sharma revealed how Hardik did not sleep an entire night when he met him upon coming back to India. He also stated that the GT skipper gave him assurance that something like this will never happen and claimed Hardik’s late father would be very proud of him.
“He hadn’t slept the whole night, na?,” the coach asked another person in the room. “Tension nahin lena hai (Don’t take tension). You will get back to playing for India very soon. Jo ho gaya, voh ho gaya (what’s done is done), no use worrying about it. Come tomorrow to Reliance stadium. Now, smile,” Jitender told Indian E“I had booked a badminton court for us to play. Just to get the competitive juices and the joy of sport back in him. I wanted him to sweat out. It freed himself, usko ehsaas hua (he realised) that he is a sportsman and this is what he is born to do. Not chat shows,” he added.xpress.
