After Hardik Pandya led Gujarat Titans to glory in Tata IPL 2022, former Indian legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar has backed the all-rounder to lead India in the future.
Pandya was able to impress a lot of cricket boffins with his leadership and ticked the right boxes for Gujarat Titans.
Pandya had already proved his mettle as a batter and a bowler but he was leading in the IPL for the first time. The talisman was able to get the best out of his players and the team came up with a collective effort, which played a key role in their success.
Pandya led from the front as he amassed 487 runs in 15 matches at an average of 44.27 and a strike rate of 131.26. Furthermore, he returned with fine figures of 3-17 in his quota of four overs in the all-important final against Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Moreover, he scored a crucial knock of 34 runs off just 30 balls in the run-chase of 131 runs.
“Yes definitely. Not just my estimation, but everybody’s estimation (Hardik’s reputation as a leader has gone up). This was an aspect of his game which nobody had too much information about,” Sunil Gavaskar told Star Sports.
The Little Master was full of praise for Hardik Pandya’s leadership as he led by example and did a fine job for Gujarat Titans. In fact, not many experts had given GT a chance in Tata IPL 2022 but the team was able to prove their critics wrong.
“We all knew what he could do with the bat, what he could do with the ball, but there was just a little bit of concern before the start of the season about whether he would be able to bowl his full quota of 4 overs. He has done that, he has shown that. That all-rounder aspect is done, and everybody is happy.
“But this now, the way he has led the team, the way he has got them together, the way he has got them to gel together means he has got leadership qualities. “When you have leadership qualities, it automatically opens the door for honours at the national level to be able to captain the Indian national team in the near future. “So that’s exciting, there are 3-4 other names in the ring. I am not saying he is the next in line. But for the selection committee to have that option is fantastic,” he added.
Hardik Pandya will look to continue the good show while playing in the upcoming series against South Africa. The first T20I will be played at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi on June 9.
