Fans heap praise as Hardik Pandya’s spectacular spell in IPL 2022 final gets Gujarat Titans on top

Hardik Pandya came up with his very best on the bowling front on the night of the IPL 2022 final this Sunday (May 29), delivering a terrific spell of 3 for 17 off his 4 overs. The Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper led his team from the front against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) with an impactful outing with the ball. 

Coming onto bowl after the powerplay overs, Hardik unleashed his control and smarts and ran through the Royals batting unit with a critical three-fer, featuring the prized scalps of opposition counterpart Sanju Samson, tournament’s highest run-getter Jos Buttler and the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer. 

Playing to his strengths, the 28-year-old banged the ball in at hard lengths consistently, which robbed RR batters of any kind of momentum through their strokes and eventually triggered their downfall. This was evident in Samson’s dismissal, as the batter was caught out on a miscued pull shot on a short ball. 

Hardik Pandya then got Buttler out nicking a ball outside the off-stump, before inducing a caught and bowled off a slower ball against Hetmyer to kick-off early celebrations for Titans’ surge towards the trophy. 

Hardik Pandya the seamer leaves his mark in IPL 2022 final

Heading into the IPL 2022, Hardik Pandya carried doubts over his head around his bowling fitness, having struggled to cope up with the after-effects of a lower back surgery back in October 2019. 

Unable to bowl at full tilt over two seasons for India and in the IPL, the player decided to take a leave of absence following the T20 World Cup in UAE last November and went through an extended grind to rejuvenate the handy sixth bowler inside him. 

Reappearing with the ball regularly through the league stage, Hardik reserved his best for the last in the season, getting all the important breakthroughs in the Royals batting line-up to help Titans to take a giant leap towards their maiden IPL trophy. 

Also Read – Fans furious after Sanju Samson ‘throws wicket away’ in IPL 2022 final against Gujarat Titans

Here is how fans reacted to Hardik Pandya’s superb spell: 

I love this guy his character
His mental toughness
U have made us proud @hardikpandya7 pic.twitter.com/1s45FcN6ql

— Yash Kumar (@ItsYash28) May 29, 2022

#IPL2022

For someone whose bowling fitness was in doubt before the season, or whether he’d even be playing as a bowling all-rounder, that’s quite the spell from Hardik Pandya – 4-0-17-3.

— Samreen (@SamreenRazz) May 29, 2022

Hardik Pandya will lead India soon.

— 👑 (@Viraaaaaaaaat) May 29, 2022