IPL 2022, RR vs GT: Hardik Pandya admits to playing a controlled innings at number 4

Gujarat Titans defeated Rajasthan Royals in Match 24 of IPL 2022. Hardik Pandya played a mature innings at number four, while he admitted that he was comfortable in the position.

Image credit: Getty

It was a competitive Match 24 between former champion Rajasthan Royals (RR) and new team Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL). On Thursday, GT played at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy Stadium in Navi Mumbai, riding to a comfortable 37-run win, thus rising to the table-top. Meanwhile, GT skipper Hardik Pandya was the match’s star, playing a stellar knock at number four.

Pandya promoted himself up the order for the first time this season, entering number four. To everyone’s delight, he played a mature innings of a 52-ball 87, which included eight fours and four sixes, at a strike rate of 167.30. Later, after the match, the all-rounder admitted that he could control the ball to perfection by batting at the position.

“The last game, it did not come off, but I made sure I did today. I have been in this situation where I have taken the role of scoring 12-ball 30. It isn’t easy, but now I can control the game at four. Pretty special. A lot of hard work for me tonight,” Pandya admitted after the victory.

Speaking on his apparent injury during the match, Pandya stated, “It was just cramps, nothing serious. I am not used to batting this long. It gives me a lot of time. I can calculate and take risks. Captaincy is fun, and it allows me to take responsibility and be the flag-bearer. The group carries one another. My motto was I wanted everyone to be happy.”

Image credit: BCCI

On the other hand, RR skipper Sanju Samson was also all-praise for Pandya, as he noted, “I would like to give credit to their [GT] batters. Hardik played a very good innings. They played well to get that score. If we had wickets in hand, this was chasable, I feel. We were almost there in terms of run rate. In the powerplay, we had a better run rate. But we kept losing wickets. Freaky niggle last night in training; we missed him [Trent Boult]. Hopefully, he will be back soon. He [Pandya] had a perfect day today. He batted, bowled and fielded well.”