Former India cricketer and Mumbai stalwart, Lalchand Rajput, believes Gujarat Titans allrounder Hardik Pandya has looked a player rejuvenated in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League because of the extra responsibility he has relished captaining the franchise.
Rajput says it augurs well for Indian cricket how Pandya has managed to adjust to the leadership role with Titans, who currently occupy the first spot on the Premier League standings. He cited his move up the order for the new IPL franchise to stress home his point, adding the promotion to No.3-4 has given the allrounder’s career a new lease of life.
“He used to bat in the lower batting positions for MI, but now he is coming at number four, so the responsibility is bringing the best out of him. He can change his game to take responsibility and finish as well. From a coaching point of view, it has given him a new life as a top-order batter.”
Rajput told CricTracker.
There have been concerns regarding Hardik’s move up the order and how that might affect his planning and preparations as a lower middle-order aggressor for India. But Rajput thinks the 28-year-old has the skill and the range to overcome such challenges and adjust to the demands of different roles with the bat in hand.
“With Hardik, he has got that mindset of adapting to any position and has got the firepower. If the batter has the firepower, it will never go away,”
said Rajput, who was part of India’s support staff for the famous 2007 T20 World Cup and 2008 CB series triumphs.
The former cricketer turned coach was echoing what other prominent voices have also felt about Pandya’s move up the order for GT. The batter has focused on guiding Titans’ not-so-great batting unit from his end, before setting himself up for the end-overs assault.
Pandya has made his 333 runs from ten innings of IPL 2022 while averaging an impressive 41.62 and maintaining a healthy strike-rate of 134.27. The move up the order after long being a late-order aggressor wouldn’t have been easy, but the right-hander has seamlessly transitioned into his new role.
