Michael Vaughan said if the Indian selectors are looking for someone to lead the side in a couple of years then shouldn’t “look past” Hardik Pandya, who led Gujarat Titans to their IPL title in the first attempt.
After Sunil Gavaskar, England’s Michael Vaughan was the next high-profile former cricketer to back Hardik Pandya to lead India in white-ball cricket in the near future. Hardik Pandya led Gujarat Titans to their IPL title in the first attempt.
Gujarat Titans finished on top of the table with 20 points at the end of the league stage and then went on to beat Rajasthan Royals twice – first in the Qualifier 1 and then in the big final – to be crowned champions.
Michael Vaughan Reckons He Wouldn’t Look Past Hardik Pandya As India’s New White Ball Skipper
Hardik Pandya, who had a terrific season with both bat and ball, became only the third captain after Anil Kumble and Rohit Sharma to win the Player of the Match in an IPL final.
He picked up the wickets of Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, and Shimron Hetmyer in the final and also scored crucial 34 runs with the bat to guide his side to victory.
Fantastic achievement for a new franchise … If India need a captain in a couple of years I wouldn’t look past @hardikpandya7 … Well done Gujurat .. #IPL2022
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) May 29, 2022
Hardik Pandya slotted himself at No.4 in the Gujarat Titans batting order throughout the IPL 2022, amassing 487 runs at an average of 44.27 and a strike rate of 131.27. With his medium pace, he claimed eight wickets averaging 27.75, with his best of 3-17 coming in the IPL 2022 final against Rajasthan Royals (RR).
Hardik Pandya led Gujarat to a comprehensive seven-wicket victory in the IPL 2022 final on Sunday in Ahmedabad. After restricting RR to 130-9, GT chased down the total in 18.1 overs. Hardik Pandya grabbed 3-17 with impeccable medium-fast bowling to restrict Rajasthan to 130-9 after Sanju Samson won the toss and chose to bat. The GT skipper then made a crucial 34 off 30 balls as Gujarat scored 133-3 in 18.1 overs.
Michael Vaughan Reckons Mumbai Indians Would Regret Not Retaining Hardik Pandya
Michael Vaughan said Hardik Pandya used his positive learnings from his Mumbai Indians days and created an enjoyable environment in Gujarat Titans. Hardik Pandya made his debut for MI in 2015 and played for them for 7 years. In that period, the franchise won 4 titles and Hardik Pandya played a big part in those wins. He was an instrumental part of MI’s success in the past. He scored 1476 runs and picked up 42 wickets for them.
“Great mentality. I just wonder as captain how much he has taken from Mumbai and taken to Mumbai to create this family and this environment. They seem like they are enjoying their cricket. In t20 cricket you got to be able to play with a free mindset. And I reckon Hardik has grabbed quite a lot from his years in Mumbai of what they do.
“Mumbai and Chennai have been the best in terms of collectively looking at the players. Mumbai is probably looking and going ‘oh no, what have we done. Why did we release him?’,” Michael Vaughan said.
This was Hardik Pandya’s fifth title as a player. He had won four IPLs with Mumbai Indians. Only Rohit Sharma (6) has more IPL victories than him. After a short break, Hardik Pandya will join the Indian side which will take on South Africa in a five-match T20I series.
The first match of the series will be played in New Delhi on June 9. The allrounder has not played for India since last year’s 2021 T20I World Cup due to an injury.