What I see with Hardik Pandya is exactly what happened to Rohit Sharma after he got MI captaincy: Sunil Gavaskar

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has said that Gujarat Titans’ captain Hardik reminds him of India’s all-format captain Rohit Sharma. Pandya has been leading the Titans brilliantly as the team has emerged to be a powerhouse in the IPL 2022.

Gavaskar believes the captaincy is having a similar effect on Pandya as it did on Rohit when the latter was named captain in 2013. Rohit has developed as a batter and as a leader as a result of his increased responsibilities and led Mumbai Indians to a title five times in the IPL.

“What I see with Hardik is exactly what happened to Rohit Sharma when he first got the captaincy of Mumbai Indians midway through the season (in IPL 2013). Suddenly (we saw) Rohit Sharma from playing those lovely cameos of the 40s, 50s, and 60s now staying right till the end and taking responsibility. His shot selections became much better (with his captaincy),” Gavaskar said on the show Cricket Live on Star Sports.

“Similarly, you can see that happening with Hardik, his shot selection is absolutely terrific. Of course, he’s an outstanding fielder and (that was the case with) Rohit Sharma, he was a brilliant fielder in the covers and close-in as well (in those days). So Pandya is showing those qualities too and that’s why Gujarat Titans are doing so well,” he added.

Hardik Pandya has made his bat speak in the game as he has 305 runs from the seven innings that he has played so far, at an average of whopping 61.00 and a strike rate of 137.39. Pandya made a comeback as an all-rounder for the Titans and has also promoted himself up the batting order. With the Mumbai Indians, he was a part of the middle-order and used to give the finishing touches. As part of the Titans’ setup, Pandya has emerged as a prolific top-order batter and has played many vital knocks for his team thus far.