(UTV | INDIA) – Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya heaped praises on his teammates after becoming the first team to reach the final of Indian Premier League 2022. Pandya and Co. registered an emphatic 7-wicket win over Sanju Samsons’ Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 1 to reach the summit clash on their debut season.
Pandya and Miller shared an unbeaten 106-run stand for the fourth wicket to help Gujarat chase down the 189-run target with 3 balls to spare. After the thumping win, the Gujarat Titans skipper kept his emotions in check and said he is trying to be natural but is proud of his teammates who according to him are different personalities.
“Right now, I don’t have much feelings. Trying to be neutral. Only thing I was very proud of is that all 23 players are different personalities. They bring different things on the table,” Pandya said in the post-match presentation.
Miller turned back the clock to score blistering 68 runs* off 38 balls. The southpaw struck 5 sixes and 3 fours. Pandya hugged Miller after he finished the game with three back-to-back sixes. After the match, he revealed what he told to the Proteas batter.
“I just told Miller that if you have good people around you, you get good things. For our team, the genuine humans we have has allowed us to do well. I genuinely see that the boys outside the XI want the players to do well,” he added.
Talking about his calm and composed attitude on the field this season, Pandya said that his family has helped him to balance things in the past couple of years.
“I have tried to balance things. Have had difficult times, certain situations, my body, bubble life. But my son and my wife, and my brother – they have played a big role. Allowed me to be neutral,” Pandya said.
The flamboyant all-rounder further opened up on the conversation he had with Miller during the 106-run stand which helped Gujarat reach the final.
“It is all about that we respect this game. That’s the conversation I had with Miller. Rashid has been fantastic throughout, but I am more proud of David. I told him ‘let’s respect this game.’ We goofed up against Mumbai Indians, and wanted to respect the game here, even if we lose. But wanted both of us to finish,” he added.
The 28-year-old has been inspiring as a leader in his first season as a captain of the IPL franchise as he also took the added responsibility for the new franchise to bat at number 4.
On any desire of having to bat at no. 4 for India, Pandya said that he is flexible to bat wherever his team wants as he has found success doing that.
“As a cricketer, I have always been the kind of player who will play wherever team wants me to bat. I have not found success batting in my choice, I have found success in playing where the teams need me.”
”We have a batting order where we need players to chip in. 20 runs can also be match winning runs. We appreciate those 10-15 runs,” he added.
“When we started the tournament, obviously I wanted to win. It is a dream. The four times I have reached an IPL final, I have won the tournament. I was just telling the boys,” he concluded.