Hardik Pandya’s Gujarat Titans defeated Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 final. Skipper Hardik Pandya took three wickets and scored 34 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Hardik was struggling with injuries before the 15th season, but the all-rounder made a memorable comeback for the new franchise.
He was dropped from the Indian team after the ICC T20 World Cup and was not retained by Mumbai Indians. But he proved everyone wrong by scoring 487 runs and dismissing 8 batters in 15 IPL matches. He was even recalled to the Indian side for the five-match T20I series against South Africa.
Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has drawn similarities between the captaincy styles of MS Dhoni and the 28-year-old player. “Hardik bowled well. In batting too, he was impressive. He led the team like MS Dhoni,” Manjrekar told ESPNcricinfo.
“His captaincy was similar to MS Dhoni’s, as he took the calls according to the situations,” he added.