IPL 2023: Hardik Pandya's calmness reminds Sunil Gavaskar of MS Dhoni
IPL 2023: Gujarat Titans will face off against Chennai Super Kings in the Final in Ahmedabad on Sunday. As Hardik Pandya and MS Dhoni clash for the fourth time this season, Sunil Gavaskar has found the former's calmness quite identical to the latter.
FollowFormer India skipper Sunil Gavaskar has lavished praise on defending champion Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Hardik Pandya, saying the calmness he brings into the team reminds him of the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Titans, under the guidance of Pandya, sailed into their second successive Indian Premier League (IPL) Final after blowing away five-time former record champion Mumbai Indians (MI) by 62 runs in Qualifier 2 to set up a summit clash with four-time former winner Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
"He [Hardik] has been very open about his admiration and affection for MSD, just like all those who have followed MSD's career. When they go out to the toss, they will be very friendly and smiling, all that. But, when it comes to the match, it will be a completely different atmosphere. It's a very good opportunity from Hardik Pandya to show how quickly he has learned," Gavaskar told Star Sports.
CATCH ALL IPL 2023 UPDATES HERE
Handed the captaincy in GT's inaugural season, Pandya guided the team to a maiden IPL title. "When he was captaining for the first time last year, nobody knew what to expect because he has been one of the most exciting and excitable cricketers. But, that excitable part, we have seen over the last year. The calmness that he brings into the team is reminiscent of MSD. It is a happy team, exactly what we see with CSK. Hardik has to take a lot of credit for that," Gavaskar said.
Gavaskar also attributed the success of GT to coach Ashish Nehra. "I would not want to miss Ashish Nehra. He is one person. When he is in the changing room or the comm box, you cannot but be laughing. He makes life look so easy, and he has got one of the sharpest cricketing brains," the 73-year-old added.
Gujarat had lost to CSK in Qualifier 1. They will make another go at Dhoni's army in the finals on Sunday, and Gavaskar said it would be a tough battle for the Chennai team. "They [GT] have always been a top-class team. Look at the way they have topped the table. They finished with 20 points, three more than Chennai Super Kings. It tells you how Gujarat Titans dominated in the league stages. It should not be a surprise that they reached the final. They have played champions cricket. And that's why there are in the final. CSK know that they have a real, real fight in their hands," he concluded.
