He may have erred in having that prolonged, perhaps unwarranted, discussion with Mohit Sharma in the last over of the Indian Premier League 2023 final. It may have resulted in him being left short of joining Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rohit Sharma as the only other captains to have lifted the coveted Indian Premier League trophy for two years in a row.
Still, the 16th edition of the tournament will be remembered as much for Hardik Pandya’s cunning captaincy and sparkling success as for the men in yellow.
Riding on Hardik’s near-perfect captaincy, the Gujarat Titans featured in its second IPL final in as many outings in the tournament. More importantly, the 2023 season — the Titans’ first at their sprawling home ground — also justified Hardik’s elevation as the master strategist who could end India’s never-ending wait for a second T20 World Cup crown next year since Dhoni’s men achieved the feat in the inaugural edition in South Africa in 2007.
Despite having proven himself as India’s best pace-bowling allrounder and even the best finisher in T20Is, when the Titans announced Hardik as the captain in their maiden season in 2022, not many initially supported the idea. They wondered whether a flamboyant and injury-prone character who seemed to have lost his mojo in the preceding year could last a full season of the IPL, let alone lead a team.
Not to mention the fact that Hardik had seldom led a team — even in club cricket in his hometown of Vadodara, less than a couple of hours’ drive from Ahmedabad — before he was handed the job.
Despite his cautious approach, Hardik was confident about his leadership abilities. “Gradually, through my career, I realised my hidden skill of being a leader. I have always tried to contribute in a leadership role since the first season, with my performance, inputs, and looking after the team,” Hardik told Sportstar in a chat mid-way through IPL 2023.
Master and the apprentice: After the IPL 2023 final in Ahmedabad, captain Hardik Pandya said he didn’t mind losing to MS Dhoni, whom he considers his mentor. | Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI
“Now, at Gujarat Titans, I have a clean slate to work with, with an inspired team, support staff, and management to build a team and take it to different heights. It has certainly catalysed my evolution as an individual and also allowed me to encourage and nurture youngsters.”
Giving opportunity and nurturing youngsters has been the IPL’s motto ever since it took the world by storm in 2008. Hardik himself is the product of a promising career that skyrocketed thanks to the IPL.
Had John Wright, one of the Mumbai Indians’ sensational sets of scouts, not watched Hardik take Mumbai’s Zaheer Khan and Co. to the cleaners in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy game at the Wankhede Stadium, Hardik may have remained unsold ahead of what ended up being his dream debut season.
“I was fortunate to be associated with Mumbai Indians, who gave me the platform, confidence, and belief to go out there and express myself. With the Gujarat Titans, I have been able to take this to the next level and explore a different facet of my personality as a leader.”
From 2015 to 2023, Hardik, the cricketer, has seen a topsy-turvy career peak. From being a genuine allrounder who, like every pace-bowling allrounder, had to live up to being compared with the great Kapil Dev, to being a controversial character off the field and being in danger of ending his career without fulfilling his potential following a severe back injury he suffered in 2018, Hardik had seen plenty of ups and downs.
In fact, Hardik was written off by many due to his downward slide before and during the T20 World Cup in the UAE in 2021. But being the eternal optimist, Hardik treated failure in his own unique way.
Clinical display: Gujarat Titans players with the IPL trophy after winning the 2022 season. | Photo Credit: PTI
“I look at failures differently. Yes, each time you take the field, you want to win, but I believe there’s always something to learn from failures too, and that is what is unique to it,” he said. “I never get bogged down or get hurt with results; yes, you do get disappointed at times, but if you know you have given it your all with the correct intent and are open to learning, then the next day offers something better.” Perhaps his trait of staying in the present has led to him being equated with Dhoni in terms of his leadership abilities. The Titans’ consecutive seasons, coupled with sparse India captaincy assignments in between, have underlined Hardik’s growing stature.
He came into IPL 2022 after an extensive rehab following a sorry show in the 2021 T20 World Cup, as documented in the same pages exactly a year ago. The two months in Maharashtra put Hardik’s career back on track and gave his franchise, the Gujarat Titans, the much-needed fillip to begin its IPL sojourn on a winning note.
“Creating our own space under the sun along with another new entrant was a big challenge. It was more in the manner of how we showcased ourselves last year. A lot of it had to do with the way the team was performing on the field and becoming champions in the first year. But how they did it helped us a lot,” admits (retd.) Col. Arvinder Singh, the Titans chief operating officer. Hardik echoed Arvinder’s sentiments. While responding to a query about his most memorable IPL season so far, Hardik said, “I think 2022 was a special year for me. Again, I was leading a team for the first time; it came at an interesting phase of my career when I was coming back after a break and was trusted with the responsibility of captaining the Gujarat Titans. The fact that we won the title was the cherry on top.
“My first season in 2015 would be very special because I came in as a player who was unknown to the world, and the fact that we won the title the same year, too, made it more special.
“I think it’ll be unfair for me to pick out one season because each season has contributed to my growth and evolution as a player and individual.” Hardik may not have been able to secure an encore this time, but rest assured, he will have many more opportunities to add to his trophy cabinet. After all, the shishya is being touted as the successor!
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