IPL 2022: Hardik Pandya is best suited at no. 4 for Team India – Irfan Pathan

Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes Hardik Pandya is best suited at no.4 for the Indian team. Pandya, who is leading Gujarat Titans in the ongoing IPL, has been playing at number four for his team and he has played his role to perfection. The right-hander has been playing the anchor’s role for his team and has done a fine job.

Pandya is currently the second-highest run-getter in the ongoing season as he has amassed 295 runs in six matches at an average of 73.75 and a strike rate of 136.57. Thus, he has led Gujarat Titans from the front and he has also done a decent job with the ball.

In fact, Pandya had played the finisher role for Mumbai Indians but he has also done a fine job for Gujarat Titans in the middle overs.

Pandya has scalped four wickets in six matches and he has bowled consistently above 140 km/h in the ongoing season.

Speaking on Cricket Live on Star Sports, Pathan said, “This is a new Hardik Pandya. This is a better version of him. It was nice to see the situations in which he has played this season. The good thing about Hardik is that he is batting responsibly at No. 4. You don’t get to take too many chances after wickets fall early but Hardik played didn’t shy away from playing big strokes early in his innings for GT if he got the looseness from the bowlers. Whether it is Team India or Gujarat Titans, Hardik is the most suited batsman at number four. This is because he can take the responsibility.”

In fact, there were questions about his fitness before the IPL but he has proved his critics wrong. Former Indian opening batter Sunil Gavaskar also lauded Hardik Pandya for working on his fitness and delivering for the team.

“He didn’t play a lot of cricket before the IPL because he was trying to get fully fit with all the problems he had due to the injury. (Now) Look at the discipline he’s showing in his batting. He’s batting well in the powerplay and making full use of the field restrictions, he’s doing exceedingly well in the field. So basically, that thinking cap is on; and once that happens your game just goes up.”

Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra feels Hardik Pandya has learned a lot from MS Dhoni and he has grown in confidence in the recent past.

“I think Hardik obviously treats him (MS Dhoni) as his mentor, he’s very close to MS. The number at which he bats and the role that he plays, nobody has played it better than Dhoni in the history of white-ball cricket. He’s learned the right lessons from MS. These are the things that we don’t even have to be told, we just observe. When we are in the company of greatness, we try and take little pieces and it shapes our lives. And that’s what we are seeing with Hardik,” Aakash Chopra said on Star Sports’ show Cricket Live.

GT will next take on SRH at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Wednesday.