Premier India pacer Mohammed Shami has heaped praise on the leadership qualities of his Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya. This is the first time that Pandya has got a chance to lead an IPL franchise and he has excelled by leading his team to the IPL 2022 playoffs in their first season. The flamboyant all-rounder made his IPL debut for Mumbai Indians in 2015 and represented the team till last season, but did not get a chance to lead there.
Gujarat signed Pandya ahead of the auction and made him the captain of their team for the debut season. The 28-year-old led the team from the front and propelled himself up the batting order to stabilize the middle order. He also regained his bowling fitness to help his team as the sixth bowling option.
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Shami, who played under Pandya’s captaincy for the first time, said that the 28-year-old has played the role of captaincy well.
“After he (Hardik) became the captain, he has become more normal, his reactions have been calm (melodious). I have advised him to control his emotions on the field as the whole world watches cricket. As a leader it is very important to be sensible and understand the circumstances and he has played that role to the fullest,” Shami told reporters after the win against CSK.
The Gujarat Titans fast bowler further said that he has seen a lot of changes in Pandya after becoming the captain of the team.
“He (Hardik Pandya) has kept the team together. I have seen a lot of changes in him as a captain compared to a player. The nature of every captain is different. Mahi (Dhoni) bhai was calm, Virat was aggressive, Rohit moves according to match conditions, so understanding Hardik’s mindset is no rocket science.
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Hardik, who is leading the IPL franchise for the first time this year, has been phenomenal in the new role so far. Gujarat has managed to qualify for the playoffs and a win over CSK has ensured a top 2 spot for them.
The 28-year-old assessed his captaincy after his team’s win over Chennai on Sunday as he said his past experience playing for Mumbai Indians has helped him in captaincy.
“You put me in one place. Yes, I would say I did very well because after playing in the previous franchises where we were also given a lot of responsibility and the kind of cricketer I am, I have always enjoyed the responsibility, where It gives me ownership of things. I can control. And I think where I’ve batted throughout my career has given me a lot of idea about how the game is going, what in certain situations The kind of bowler will be important. Playing for a different franchise and doing what I have done in the past has helped me in my captaincy,” Hardik said in the post-match presentation.
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