Hardik Pandya, the all-rounder and captain of the Gujarat Titans, had another outstanding IPL season in 2023, leading his team to their second consecutive championship. GT were on the verge of becoming the first team in IPL history to win two championships in their first two trials. However, they fell short of the record-breaking feat, losing by five wickets in the final over to the Chennai Super Kings.
Aakash Chopra, a former India cricketer, praised Pandya’s leadership after the conclusion of a dramatic season, stating that Gujarat would not have made it this far without their commander. Hardik did not have a fantastic season with the bat or the ball, but he did an excellent job of leading his team to their second consecutive tournament championship.
“Without Hardik Pandya’s stewardship, this task could not have been completed. He provides tranquility, confidence, and faith,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Aakash Chopra elaborated on Pandya’s captaincy by stating that he has learned from MS Dhoni how to remain calm and has found the ideal equilibrium between calmness and flamboyance.
“He claims to have learned from Mahi how to maintain composure. Other than that, he is a flamboyant player. Calmness and flamboyance are not genuinely compatible. If you perceive Dhoni to be tranquil, he is not flamboyant and is rather subdued. If you perceive Kohli as flamboyant, he is also aggressive and not tranquil. Hardik Pandya is achieving equilibrium, the best of both situations,’ he concluded.
Pandya performed outstandingly in Qualifier 2 and the final.
Hardik Pandya was GT’s fourth-leading run scorer with 346 runs in 15 innings at an average of 31.45 and a strike rate of 136.75 with two fifty-plus scores. His brilliant exploits of 28* off 13 against the Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 2 and 21* off 12 against CSK in the final propelled his team to an enormous total.
However, he had a poor season with the ball, taking only three wickets in eleven innings and leaking runs at an economy of 9.12.
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