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Updated May 30th, 2022 at 11:37 IST

Sunil Gavaskar makes bold claim, backs Hardik Pandya to become Team India's captain

Questions were raised regarding Hardik Pandya's appointment as Gujarat Titans skipper, but the all-rounder led the team from the front and achieved IPL glory.

Reported by: Suraj Alva
Sunil Gavaskar on Hardik Pandya's captaincy
Image: IPLT20/BCCI/PTI | Image:self
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Hardik Pandya led Gujarat Titans to their first Indian Premier League glory after beating Rajasthan Royals in the final on Sunday. The newly-formed IPL team cruised through the league stage as table toppers and played some outstanding cricket during Playoffs and final to lift the trophy.  Coming into the IPL 2022 season, questions were raised regarding Hardik Pandya's appointment as Gujarat Titans skipper. However, all the doubts were put to rest with the Indian all-rounder himself leading the team from the front. India's legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar also expressed his views regarding Hardik Pandya's captaincy.

IPL 2022 final: Can Hardik Pandya become Team India's future captain? 

Hardik Pandya's leadership skills surprised everyone considering that he had not led any team in competitive cricket since his U-16 days. The fitness factor was also being discussed since the all-rounder had not played competitive cricket since the T20 World Cup in September-October last year. However, Pandya proved his detractors wrong with his performance in IPL 2022. 

Sunil Gavaskar while speaking on Star Sports said, “Yes definitely. Not just my estimation, but everybody’s estimation (Hardik Pandya’s reputation as a leader has gone up). This was an aspect of his game which nobody had too much information about". 

He further said," 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".

Speaking about Hardik Pandya's performance as skipper, Gavaskar said,  “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". He added “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.” 

RR vs GT: Hardik Pandya's performance during IPL 2022 Final

Hardik Pandya's overall performance in IPL 2022 earned him a spot in Team India for the South Africa series. During the RR vs GT IPL 2022 final, Pandya produced a man-of-the-match performance picking up 3 wickets for just 17 runs, and also scored crucial 34 runs to help his team chase down the below-par target of 131 runs. Overall, Hardik Pandya finished IPL 2022 campaign with 487 runs and 8 wickets.

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Published May 30th, 2022 at 11:37 IST

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