Former Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has praised Hardik Pandya for his exceptional captaincy skills. After winning the trophy in 2022, Gujarat Titans have once again made it into the playoffs under the captaincy of Hardik Pandya. The final match of IPL 2023 will be held in Ahmedabad on Sunday on May 28 where Gujarat Titans will compete against Chennai Super Kings.
Gavaskar said that Hardik Pandya has become ponderous after being appointed as the captain of the Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022. Gavaskar believes that the upcoming final against MS Dhoni and the Chennai Super Kings presents a valuable opportunity for Pandya to demonstrate how rapidly he has acquired the skills of captaincy.
In the first year of IPL as captain in 2022, many critics were doubting the captaincy skills of Pandya but he took his team to the final and also won the trophy. Not only this, Gujarat also topped the points table in both seasons which really indicates the calibre of Pandya as a captain.
While talking about the epic clash on Sunday between Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Hardik Pandya, Gavaskar had a very interesting conversation on Star Sports. Little Master said, “He (Hardik) has been very open about his admiration and affection for MSD, just like all those who have followed MSD’s career. When they go out to the toss, they will be very friendly and smiling. But when it comes to the match, it will be a completely different atmosphere. It’s a very good opportunity from Hardik Pandya to show how quickly he has learned,” Gavaskar told Star Sports on Friday.
“When he was captaining for the first time last year, nobody knew what to expect because he has been one of the most exciting and excitable cricketers as well. But that excitable part, we have seen over the last year. The calmness that he brings into the team is reminiscent of MSD. This is a happy team, which is exactly what we see with CSK as well. Hardik has to take a lot of credit for that,” he added.
