Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag is impressed no end with Hardik Pandya, the skipper of Gujarat Titans who have qualified as top team of this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL).
“One captain who has impressed me the most is Hardik Pandya. I did not expect Hardik Pandya to do such a wonderful captaincy. The way he used to bat, I thought he will be similarly aggressive with his captaincy too. He did not do that. He was cool and calm,” Sehwag said in an interview to CricBuzz.
Gujarat Titans is due to meet Rajasthan Royals in the first qualifier in Kolkata on Tuesday.
“I am not saying this because his team won so many matches or because Ashish Nehra is my friend. When do you like someone’s captaincy? It happens when, during crucial moments, you take crucial decisions especially while your team is bowling. The changes that you do in bowling or fielding which yields results. During pressure situations, he has been calm and that’s why I have liked his captaincy.”
Meanwhile, former New Zealand and Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Daniel Vettori has said that Sanju Samson’s team holds a slight edge over Hardik Pandya’s GT because of the presence of three seasoned bowlers who could use their experience on a big match day.
“I love the Ashwin-Chahal combination, I think that gives Rajasthan something special through the middle. So, I think Rajasthan are just a little bit in front because of those two and Trent Boult. There’s nothing to take away from the Gujarat bowling line-up but I think Rajasthan just have the edge,” Vettori said on ESPNCricinfo’s T20 Timeout Show.
Chahal leads the Purple Cap race with 26 wickets from 14 matches so far. Trent Boult has accounted for 13 scalps in as many matches.
