Former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan and legendary Anil Kumble believes Gujarat Titans skipper all-rounder Hardik Pandya reads the game situation very well similar to legendary Indian skipper MS Dhoni. The 2011-world cup winner feels the Indian all-rounder has a good relationship with their head coach Ashish Nehra which helped in the success of their franchise in IPL.
With the IPL 2023, scheduled to begin today, cricket experts have shared their opinions on the opening game between Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Titans. Speaking on Jiocinema, Anil Kumble said Hardik Pandya manages his resources very well, and added that he is the complete package of a player.
“He reads the game well, just like MS Dhoni, For a fast bowler to be bowling at that pace and then coming in and batting in whichever situation, we have seen that with Mumbai Indians, he did the finisher’s role but last year we saw a different Hardik Pandya, the captain played a different role for Gujarat. In that sense, he’s the complete package you’d expect from a player,” said Kumble on the ‘Insiders Preview of Hardik Pandya.
Speaking on the same show, Zaheer Khan feels Hardik Pandya is the perfect impact player for the team, as he can bat and bowl to any phase of the innings. The Former left-arm pacer feels Hardik Pandya can be dangerous in the final stage of the innings.
“If you talk about an impact player, Hardik is the ideal impact player. In the situation where he bats, at number five or six, it is not easy, especially in this format where you have to use the last three or four overs to bat at a particular strike rate while facing ten to twelve deliveries. That’s his specialty. Even when bowling, he can bowl at any phase, he is an all-phase bowler which is an asset,” he said on the same show.
Hardik Pandya played a vital role for Gujarat Titans in leading their team to the first title. In the inaugural season, Gujarat Titans performed consistently throughout the league and finished the league stage at the top of the points table with 10 wins from 14 games. They then went on to beat Rajasthan Royals in the Qualifier and the final to lift the title under Pandya’s captaincy.
Ashish Nehra and Hardik Pandya Emerged As The Jodi No.1 – Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan asserted Hardik Pandya and Ashish Nehra as the Number 1 Jodi of the IPL and praised the team management for backing young Hardik Pandya who has never captained even his domestic teams.
“If you look at the previous IPL, what we saw was that Hardik had never captained before. That was an advantage for Ashish Nehra as well because when you haven’t been a captain before, you want to learn the most about it. That’s why Nehra and Pandya’s partnership emerged as the Jodi No. 1 last season,” Zaheer Khan said.
Gujarat Titans will be in action on the very first day of the competition as they begin their title defence against Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.