IPL 2022 | 'I want to take pressure with my experience so that the others can play freely' - Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya had a great start to his IPL captaincy stint as his side; Gujarat Titans, won by five wickets against Lucknow Super Giants at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday (March 29). Gujarat Titans won the toss, opted to bowl, and got off to a flying start as the speedster Mohammed Shami removed KL Rahul for a duck. 

Then, he removed Quinton de Kock too in his next over. However, the fifties from Deepak Hooda and Ayush Badoni guided them to put up 158 on the board after their allotted 20 overs. While chasing, Gujarat lost the opener, Shubman Gill, for a duck. But Matthew Wade scored 30, and some quick-fire cameos from their middle-order batters guided them to victory with 2 balls to spare.

Mohammed Shami, who won the Man of the Match for his brilliant spell of 3/25, said, "I was warmed up well. It was important to get a good start in the first match. I looked to bowl a Test-match line and length here. When the ball comes out of your hand like that ... (smiles). I have worked very hard on this seam position. People say it is god-gifted, but that's not the case. I try to come round the wicket to a leftie and make that angle because that's the most uncomfortable thing for them. So I look to do that. Hardik asked me if I wanted the fourth over on the trot, but I told him to hold me back."

On the other hand, winning captain Hardik Pandya was happy, and he opined on his batting position. He stated that he wanted to bat at number four so that he could absorb the pressure from the others and they could play freely then.

Hardik Pandya said, "This was the right game for us to be on either side and learn, but we have learnt a lot by winning. Shami is known for his seam positions, and he got us to a great start. We would have any day taken 160 on this wicket. Mostly I'll bat at number four because I want to take pressure with my experience so that the others can play freely. We want to win as a team, and nobody can take the contribution away from us anyway. It was quite humid so I wouldn't have finished Shami's spell. Manohar is some talent to look at with the talent he has. He is someone who you are going to hear about in the future. Tewatia was sensational as well."

He even mentioned that getting out to his brother Krunal would have hurt more if they lost the game. Pandya even shared that their family is neutral about their playing for the different franchises, and they are happy too.

"Getting out to Krunal would have pinched me more had we lost, but now the family is neutral and happy. He got me out, and we won the match," he again shared.

Meanwhile, Rahul Tewatia, who scored a 24-ball 40 and helped his side win, said that the wicket was good to bat on, and he had a great discussion with the veteran David Miller.

He said, "The wicket was good, and the communication between Miller and me was to take the game deep, and during the strategic break, I told Miller I would take chances in the next over as the boundary was smaller on the leg-side, and the ball wasn't spinning much. Bishnoi was bowling those googlies, and after that reverse sweep, the situation was such that I had to go after the bowler and play my shots. 

During our camp, I saw Abhinav's batting, and he is a very clean striker and the X-factor of our team, and we have been playing together for the last few weeks now, and I had complete trust in him that he would play his shots. Playing your shots in the first game with that confidence is really pleasing to see. The plan is to concentrate on the process, which we did during the practice. Ashish (Nehra) has made sure that everyone in the squad is in a happy mood."