Calm, self-assured and resolute as ever, Hardik Pandya offers bright peek into the future

Hardik Pandya was livid, absolutely fuming, as he headed back to the dugout after his dismissal in the IPL 2022 final, with the team still 45 adrift. The reaction stemmed from a third run being turned down by the batting partner Shubhman Gill off the previous ball, before Yuzvendra Chahal induced the outside edge through to the lone slip.

Hardik’s animated walkback wouldn’t have come as a major surprise a few years ago, but there was rarity associated with it coming into the IPL 2022 final, so much so, that Ravi Shastri, Harsha Bhogle and Simon Doull couldn’t stop marvelling over his sense of calm shown throughout the campaign on air, until the dismissal occured. It was all smiles not long after, with Shubman Gill unleashing a winning pull stroke off Obed McCoy sailing over the long-leg stands to mark Gujarat Titans’ emphatic title win.

The accolades continued thereafter.

Hardik - “a high-profile player in India”, as GT batting coach Gary Kirsten would attest in a post-match chat with the host broadcasters - was the most sought after personnel at the Narendra Modi International Stadium after Titans’ glory. He’d find some time to share his success and joy during a stroll with wife Nataša, who was as jovial and emotional as the man himself. There was an occasional notorious interruption to Rahul Tewatia’s post-match interview, and cheerful celebrations with the rest around.

Relaxed through and through, he grabbed a chair to keep the moment to himself, before making two on-mic appearances at the presentation, one for the Player of the Match, other for the winning captain followed. It included a humble acknowledgement to the coaching as well as the logistic staff, and emphasis on the significance of “playing as a team”, and a sense of accomplishment of having “created a legacy”.

The evolution of Hardik, the supreme, game-changing all-rounder, came hand in hand to the shift from being a swaggering persona to the one more responsible and composed. The intensity hasn’t dipped a bit, as reflected in the post-dismissal reaction, the deep confident voice and a happy-go-easy attitude going unchanged. The skill set and the sporting wisdom, if it hadn’t surfaced previously, has taken a further advance.

By his own claim, the four IPL wins with MI were just as special as the one on Sunday, but suspect some dishonesty there, for even he’d find it difficult to rank 2022 above any other on personal front.

His previous four IPL triumphs with the Mumbai Indians serve as major highlights of his international career timeline. In his maiden IPL season as a 22-year-old, an 8-ball 21* assault, which handed the Chennai Super Kings a rare home defeat would make him a regular in the title-winning MI setup, and an India cap would come less than a year later, followed by a T20 World Cup selection. 

The 2017 IPL win was followed by a maiden Test cap in Sri Lanka, which would be celebrated with a quickfire century in the third Test, and a match-winning five-for at Trent Bridge a year later.

By 2019, he’d established himself among the definite starters in India’s World Cup XI, but the inconsistency and the questionable off-field events preceding the season, caught criticism from the cricketing fraternity and beyond. His belligerent batting was enough to contribute in MI’s title defence in 2020, but the missing secondary discipline would affect his India selection not long after, while resulting in a double demotion in the BCCI's contracts list.

Impressive words from an impressive skipper 👌#GTvsRR #IPL2022https://t.co/dWZiJOujRq

— CricXtasy (@CricXtasy) May 30, 2022

The 2022 season, a retrieving one, saw the best of Hardik Pandya - a complete all-round cricketer, adding another striking dimension of an able leader.

“We are going to give all the guys full freedom to express themselves,” Hardik had said at the toss of GT’s opening fixture against the fellow new entrants Lucknow Super Giants on March 28. 

It was one of the three captaincy traits he looked to acquire from three accomplished leaders in Indian cricket. 

"From Virat, I will pick his aggression and passion,” the newly appointed GT skipper had said before the IPL. “From Mahi bhai it's the composure, calmness, remaining the same in every situation, trying to see what new things he can add. And from Rohit, I would pick the freedom as he lets the player decide what he wants to do. These three qualities, if I can pick up, will be a very good combination."

It all fell beautifully in place for a side that wasn’t deemed a highly potent force on paper by experts and fans alike.

A full-fledged pace attack, aiming to go for the kill at any given juncture of the game. Kohli’s aggressive approach with quicks in operation - check!

A line-up being given the freedom to be themselves, as best discovered by David Miller in his most successful IPL season in 10 years of participation yet. Rohit’s mantra - check!

A sense of calm and self-belief rubbed onto the rest of his teammates, resulting in seven last-over finishes, orchestrated by a resourceful middle-order while chasing. Dhoni’s unfussed, simplistic approach. Check!

Add to it a Shikhar Dhawan like care-free, yet responsible demeanour, that perhaps enhanced the team’s efficiency as much as his own. Hardik’s exemplary captaincy skills prompted Sunil Gavaskar and Shoaib Akhtar among others to label him as a potential India captaincy candidate for future. And yet, that wasn’t even a significant part of the success story during a redeeming campaign.

The persistent injury woes had refrained him from bowling for a major part of the last few years, costing him a place in the Indian side. The right-arm hit the deck medium pace - his secondary suit, but an integral one to his continuity in international cricket - had often come under the scrutiny for its irregularity, inconsistency and for being almost erratic at times.

Come IPL 2022, all of that was put to bed. With pace-friendly surfaces at the start of the season, the young captain graduated himself as a reliable new-ball bowler, despite the services of left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore and all-rounder Rahul Tewatia at his disposal. There was a minor-blip mid season, ruling him out of bowling and the XI with injury scare, only to be back flying soon after.

Then of course, came a game-changing spell in the final in front of possibly the largest capacitated crowd of 104,859 in a cricket match ever. With his sharp medium-pace, Hardik accounted for the opponents’ big three - Sanju Samson, Orange Cap holder Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer - to mark the game’s decisive passage.

In a tournament in which he’d previously accounted for Tim Seifert, Kane Williamson, Mayank Agarwal, Jimmy Neesham and Devdutt Padikkal, Hardik finished at an economy of 7.28 - his lowest in an IPL season.

By the way, Hardik Pandya is gold for any team once he’s fit to bowl.

— Ian Raphael Bishop (@irbishi) May 29, 2022

In his best campaign yet with the bat in terms of aggregate, the 487 runs at 44.27, made him the only non-opener to feature in the top-five run-getters’ list. There was a dip in strike-rate, but that mattered little with Miller, Tewatia and Rashid delivering the goods when required.

“Batting comes first to me, always going to be close to my heart. When we got the auction done it was clear I had to bat higher to guide,” Hardik said after the final.

After a fifth IPL title, he now has already earned an India call-up for the upcoming South Africa series. The next goal? "Absolutely to win the World Cup for India no matter what happens."

His grand success has once again answered India’s perennial search for a reliable all-format medium-fast bowling all-rounder, perhaps with more assurance than it had been earlier. Whether the form and fitness persists to allow him flourish consistently remains to be seen. For now, it holds Indian cricket in a good stead.