'Calmness Hardik Pandya Brings Is Reminiscent Of MS Dhoni': Sunil Gavaskar's Huge Compliment For GT Captain Ahead Of IPL 2023 Final

27.05.2023 - 15:03 sports.ndtv.com

Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar has lavished praise on Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya, saying the calmness that he brings into the team reminds him of the legendary Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Titans, under the guidance of Pandya, sailed into their second successive IPL final after blowing away five-time champions Mumbai Indians by 62 runs in Qualifier 2 to set up a summit clash with four-time winners Chennai Super Kings. "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," Gavaskar told Star Sports. "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." 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 cricketer as well.

cricket MS Dhoni Chennai Super Kings Hardik Pandya Star Sports Sunil Gavaskar Singh Dhoni Ashish Nehra Gujarat Titans India Chennai

After a disappointing Day 1 at the World Test Championship final at The Oval in London, India showed early promise on the second day against Australia as they took regular wickets. However, the Indian batting top-order failed to negate the barrages from Australian bowlers as the Rohit Sharma-led team reached 151/5 at stumps. With Australia scoring 469 in the first innings, India still trail them by 318 runs. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has said that the first target for the Indian team would be to surpass the follow-on score.

Watch: Sakshi Dhoni's Reaction As MS Dhoni Falls For Duck In IPL 2023 Final

MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings held their nerve till the last ball of the IPL 2023 final against Gujarat Titans to clinch the title in style. With four needed off the final delivery, Ravindra Jadeja hit a boundary to take CSK over the line. With the win, CSK clinched a record-equalling fifth IPL title. Chasing 171 in 15 overs (target revised after rain interrupted the match), CSK were 149/4 in 12.4 overs when Dhoni came in to bat. However, the CSK captain fell for 0 as CSK were reduced to 149/5 in 12.5 overs. However, Shivam Dube and Jadeja ensured that there are no further hiccups for CSK.

Amid Bromance Chatter, Old Video Of MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya Racing Resurfaces

Hardik Pandya went toe-to-toe with his idol MS Dhoni earlier this week as Gujarat Titans took on Chennai Super Kings in the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. However, Hardik failed to get the better of his idol as Dhoni led CSK to their fifth IPL title. After the defeat, Hardik said that he is proud of his team and if he had to lose the title to anyone he would rather lose it to CSK captain Dhoni. He said that it was destiny for Dhoni to win the title and good things happen to good people and "he's been one of the best people he knows."

"Legend Like Sunil Gavaskar...": Ramiz Raja On Why IPL 2023 Will Be Remembered For 'Dhonimania'

Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja feels the just-concluded season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be remembered for MS Dhoni. Earlier this week, Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings defeated Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2023 final, which was played on the reserve day for the first time in the competition's rich history. While recalling some of the biggest moments of the season, Raja pointed at the incident involving Sunil Gavaskar and Dhoni. During CSK's last home game of the season, Gavaskar got his shirt signed from Dhoni.

Sunil Gavaskar Picks Most Impressive Uncapped Player Of IPL 2023

Legendary India opener Sunil Gavaskar picked Rajasthan Royals youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal as the uncapped star to watch out for in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. It was a brilliant season for the left-handed batter who impressed everyone with his brand of batting and even won the Emerging Player award. Gavaskar said that his numbers and batting style has been quite beneficial for Jaiswal and tipped him for bigger things in the days to come. This season, he made 625 runs with an average of 48.08 and a strike rate of 163.61.

"Why Go And Waste His Time?": Virender Sehwag Blasts Hardik Pandya Over Mohit Sharma Act

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 final turned out to be a sporting spectacle that saw Ravindra Jadeja score 10 runs from the final two balls of the match, taking Chennai Super Kings across the line. The final over of the match was all going as per plan for GT, with Mohit Sharma conceding just 3 runs from the first 4 balls. However, the veteran pacer's rhythm seems to have been shaken a bit following a brief chat with skipper Hardik Pandya, which former India cricketer Virender Sehwag wasn't pleased to see.