Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
While several cricket experts and pundits had their doubts over Gujarat Titans after the IPL 2022 Mega Auctions, the Hardik Pandya-led side continued to prove everyone wrong on their way to the finals. Eventually, Gujarat became the IPL champions by beating Rajasthan Royals in the summit clash by 7 wickets on Sunday at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
It was understandably an emotional moment for several of the players. It wasn't the first time that Hardik was going to lift the trophy but it was his first as a captain and that too in the team's debut season. Hardik celebrated the win before collecting the trophy by embracing his wife on the field. Natasa too seemed emotional as the couple hugged.
Later when Hardik was handed over the IPL trophy by BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and Secretary Jay Shah, his gesture reminded the fans of MS Dhoni. Notably, moments after getting the trophy, Hardik handed it over to the youngsters and positioned himself in the margins, as if to let the team take the centre stage.
The same can be seen in a video shared by IPL.
Have a look:
After his impressive captaincy stint, Hardik could be seen leading India during their Ireland tour where several of the senior members could be rested.
"Hardik has been impressive. What is more satisfying is that he has become a very responsible player as a captain. He is certainly in the scheme of things for the captaincy role for the Ireland tour," a member of the selection committee was quoted in an InsideSport report.
However, the discussions regarding who will lead India on that tour are at a very initial stage. For now, the focus will shift to the home series against South Africa where KL Rahul has been named the captain.