The man selected to lead the 17-man Indian team for this tour, with some big guns rest, is Hardik Pandya, who was struggling to bowl until recently, was not really effective with the bat and was then on edge with lower back issues. This is something that has bothered him for a long time. He had back surgery in London in 2019 before the injury tormented him again.
That is what raised more than a few eyebrows in IPL 2022, when Gujarat Titans named him as their captain after bringing him onboard as a pre-auction signing. How effective will Hardik be in carrying out the responsibility of captaincy? Was it right to announce him as the captain of the first team of the IPL, which will be trying to make a mark in its first season? Will he be able to bowl? Hardik had the answer to each and many of these questions. What we saw in IPL 2022 was Hardik 2.0. A calmer, more focused version of the very talented all-rounder, who captained the waters like a fish.
Hardik Pandya (Image Credit: BCCI/IPL)
He bowled, he was the highest run-scorer for Gujarat Titans and he marshaled his troops so well that Titans finished the season as champions.
Former Indian cricketer Saba Karim, who has also been the BCCI General Manager of Cricket Operations and National Selector, was the guest of honor at the event. Sports Podcast Sportscast of Times of India Recently and talked about the changes he has seen in Hardik and what impressed him about the all-rounder and now the India captain.
“I think what I have learned in Hardik Pandya is a lesson learned in the last 4-5 years being an international cricketer. If I remember correctly, he made his debut in 2015-16 (January 2016 in a T20I vs Australia in Adelaide) when I was part of the selection committee and since then he has not only been a man but a cricketer. have developed as well. It looked like it had come to a stage where he actually had to revamp his lifestyle to become a more mature cricketer and that is what was seen in this season’s IPL. And it’s worth mentioning – it’s not easy for athletes to do that at that level. They follow a certain type of lifestyle and discipline. It is not easy for him to absorb new things in his character, but Hardik Pandya has been able to do so. If you are able to exercise your mind in a very positive way and in a very disciplined way, the rest becomes very easy. I believe the change we saw on the field for Gujarat Titans actually started with the captain. And that’s why he turned his entire stay into such a huge success for Gujarat Titans. Saba Karim said TOI Sportscast.
Saba Karim (Image Credit: Twitter)
What has become clear about Hardik from what we saw in IPL 2022 is the work he has put behind the scenes in both the physical and mental aspects of his game. As captain, Hardik was calm, never letting the match situation take hold of him. The slightly aggressive streak seen from time to time gave way to a more balanced man, who turned out to be a thoughtful captain. His all-rounder ability was never in question but when he captained the Titans, it was his mental strength and clarity of mind that really displayed. He managed to weave together a strong unit in Gujarat Titans and the players seemed to thrive in the team environment created by the captain and the team management. The entire squad worked as a unit and this was the hallmark of their IPL win this season.
For Hardik personally, it was a kind of redemption. Branded as one of the villains of India’s disastrous T20 World Cup in the previous edition, where India failed to make the semi-finals and lost to Pakistan for the first time in the World Cup, a semi-fit Hardik, who was mercilessly trolled Was made on social media, decided that it is time to take a break and work on your physical fitness, become a more mature cricketer and become mentally stronger. The selectors also knew that if Hardik was unable to bowl, he would not fit in the team composition.
Thanks to what the selectors saw in the IPL this season, Hardik was brought back into the Indian set-up for the home T20I series vs South Africa, where he finished as the second highest run-scorer for India , in which there were 117 runs in 4. innings, at an average of 58.50 and a strike rate of 153.94.
Hardik Pandya (AFP photo)
Obviously, it looked like Hardik had learned a lot from the bottom and the sides.
“I believe these are all life experiences. He started giving importance to the fact that he is such an extraordinary cricketer and he cannot take things lightly. He realized that eventually he has to take care of his fitness, Have to work on your skills – see that he is always ahead of the opposition. I also feel that there is no one set rule to captain a team because everyone is different and the fact that you have to One has to stay the same instead of trying to imitate others, which may not prove successful. And I think Hardik Pandya, although he spent a lot of time with MS Dhoni, spent a lot of time with him Virat KohliHe has his own brand of captaincy and the way he plays his cricket is very different from what Virat does or whatever M S Dhoni does. So you learn from a lot of great people who have been part of the team, but ultimately you bring your leadership style on the field and I think that’s what they did. I was very impressed with the way he handled the press as well, which is not an easy task to do and it shows a lot of maturity. And it aroused sentiments from the side (Gujarat Titans) in terms of motivation, commitment and dedication. Saba Karim continued TOI Sportscast.
Interestingly, Saba Karim was a national selector when Hardik was first selected to play for India. Hardik made his India debut in January 2016 in a T20I played in Adelaide on the tour of Australia. It was an Indian team that loved Rohit SharmaVirat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina. Hardik did not get a chance to bat in that game, but he bowled three overs and made figures of 2-37, dismissing Chris Lynn and Matthew Wade. India won that match by 37 runs.
Hardik Pandya, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni (AFP photo)
in your chat TOI SportscastSaba, who can be seen as a TV expert on India’s upcoming tour of Ireland, also spoke about what the selectors found most impressive about Hardik at the time.
“His all-rounder ability and his power-hitting abilities. In those days we were looking for a batting all-rounder who could come in as the sixth bowler and score some quick runs at No. 5 or 6 and he was so well suited for that kind of role. He started that way and since then his reputation has grown, he has grown in performance, he became a Test match all-rounder, did very well for India and then his career took a downturn. But now, it’s good to see him come up with a revival and as I said, basically he has reinvented himself as a cricketer and a person.”
You can listen to the full episode of TOI Sportscast with Saba Karim Here