Hardik Pandya scored 487 runs in 15 innings in IPL 2022 and also picked 8 wickets.
Gujarat Titans defeated Rajasthan Royals in the final of the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to lift the trophy in their maiden season. It was a pretty comfortable victory for them and a perfect end to the season in which they played some brilliant cricket. Not many had given GT a chance to make it even to the playoffs after the auction, forget winning the title.
But Hardik Pandya led the team admirably well in his first season as the captain and led from the front even with his all-round skills. He was making a comeback to competitive cricket having worked on his fitness since the T20 World Cup last year. He hadn’t played even a single game since then and there were questions about his fitness.
But he delivered scoring 487 runs in 15 innings and also picked up 8 wickets. However, his strike rate of 131.27 came under the scanner as he batted at four and didn’t seem to be the finisher he used to be for the Mumbai Indians. However, he isn’t worried much about it and stated that his team always comes first for him and was glad to have contributed to the team’s cause.
“When the auction finished, I knew I would have to bat at number 4. For me, my team is the most important. I’ve always been that kind of individual. If I were to have a worse season and my team wins, I’ll take that. I will take the trophy any day over striking at 160. My team comes first for me,” he said while speaking after the match.
Hardik Pandya also termed Gujarat TItans title win a special achievement and also predicted that the coming generations will always talk about this tourney. “This title is going to be a special one because we talked about creating a legacy. The coming generations will talk about it. Everyone will remember this was the team who started this journey and to win the championship first year is very special,” Hardik added.
