IPL 2022: Hardik Pandya, the new Captain Cool

Pandya? Many would be seeing it that way from the manner the Gujarat Titans skipper operated in Qualifier 1 match against Rajasthan Royals at the Eden Gardens here on Tuesday. Chasing a stiff 189-run victory target, the skipper led from the front stitching together a 106-run unbroken fourth-wicket stand with David Miller in 61 balls to take his side home. The all-rounder did speak about the influence of MS Dhoni, under whom he made his international debut, on his career.

Read AlsoIPL 2022, GT vs RR: Sensational Miller, captain Pandya chase down tall total as Gujarat Titans enter final in style

Gujarat Titans stormed into the IPL final in their debut season after David Miller's blistering half-century secured a seven-wicket victory against Rajasthan Royals in Tuesday's Qualifier 1 in Kolkata. Needing 16 off the final over from Prasidh Krishna, Miller smashed three sixes in a row to book

"Obviously Mahi bhai has played a big role in my life. He is a dear brother, a dear friend, and family to me. So, for me, I have learnt a lot of good things from him," he said at the post-match press conference on Tuesday. Much like Dhoni, Hardik never seemed to be panicking by looking at the scoreboard and paced his innings quite well. In spite of being known as a hard-hitting batter, Pandya played a rather controlled innings, hitting just five boundaries and not a single six in his unbeaten 40-run innings. Talking about his approach, Pandya said "I've started to balance things in my life. Even before the captaincy as well, I always made sure that I approach all situations in a cool-headed way. Generally, you make better decisions that way. For me, in my life and in my cricketing journey, it was important to give that 10-second extra