Former South Africa player Gary Kirsten lavished praise on Indian all-rounder and Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya for showing interest to learn about the game.
Hardik led Gujarat Titans to IPL 2022 triumphant chapter in their first season of the cash-rich league. He was the leading run-scorer with the bat, 487 runs in 15 innings, and returned with eight scalps with the ball in the tournament.
Hardik Pandya’s leadership talk of the town
Hardik donned the captain’s armband for the first time in any competitive level cricket league. He turned out to be successful not just by winning the coveted IPL trophy but also earned laurels from his teammates, coaches and pundits of the game for steward leadership.
I’ve been impressed with Hardik Pandya: Gary Kirsten
Kirsten, who was the mentor and batting coach of the Ahmedabad-based outfit in their victorious season, noted the quality of Hardik as a leader.
The 2011 World Cup-winning coach mentioned Hardik’s appetite to take cues from the coaches in the camp and understand his teammates in a vast manner.
“I’ve been impressed with Hardik Pandya. Not having known him well earlier, I’ve got a view on him now that he’s this cricketer who just plays instinctively and takes the game on. He engages in a lot of cricket conversations and wants to learn, wants to get better and improve and understand his players,” Kirsten told the Times of India.
“He’s a fantastic cricketer but what stands him apart is how keen he is to learn. He is one of those players. And we’ve seen how leadership has come so naturally to him.
“He is an impact player who can win games for you and to have someone that could do it with bat and ball, especially in a format as short and unpredictable as this one (T20), is special,” Kirsten added.
Hardik has been named in India’s squad for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa at home. The first match commences on June 9 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.
Also Read: MS Dhoni Showed A Lot Of Trust In Me: Hardik Pandya On His T20I Debut