At the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai on Thursday, Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Hardik Pandya hardly put a foot wrong as they went past Rajasthan Royals by 37 runs in an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 fixture. Not only did Hardik have a brilliant outing with the bat, scoring unbeaten 87, but also played a crucial part with the ball in hand. The all-rounder didn't stop there and even inflicted a crucial run-out with a direct hit to stamp his authority in the match. Apart from this, Hardik's leadership qualities were also on full display as his clever field placements and bowling changes helped derail the RR run-chase of 193 runs.
Looking at match which was clearly marked by Pandya's brilliance, former Indian cricketers took to Twitter to praise the all-rounder.
First in line was Wasim Jaffer, who termed Pandya as a "standout new captain of this season."
"GT have been the surprise package of the season. Lots of credit should go to @hardikpandya7 and Nehra ji. Both are quite relaxed characters and keep things simple. Hardik definitely the standout new captain of this season. #RRvGT #IPL2022."
Mohammad Kaif also heaped praise on Pandya following his incredible outing.
"Pandya team ke liye sab kuch karega. You wait for Hardik the bowler for long and Hardik the captain, the finisher, the fielder, also comes along. @hardikpandya7."
Parthiv Patel lauded Pandya in his own unique style and termed Pandya performance as a "Gujarati Thali", someone who had everything going right today in several aspects of the game.
Hardik Pandya was like 'Gujarati Thali' today! There was everything on the plate. Great maturity while batting especially. #GTvRR #RRvGT
Yuvraj Singh also acknowledged Pandya's performance on Twitter and wrote:
Top knock !!! Kung fu @hardikpandya7 killer smashes it in the end
@DavidMillerSA12 !!! Pandya can bat at no 4 !! At any format he has the game and the technique !!! #IPL2022 #rrvsgt
Hardik registered bowling figures of 1/18 in 2.3 overs. GT will next face Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on April 17.