Picture Credit: Twitter
Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans clinched their maiden IPL title in their debut season after defeating Rajasthan Royals on Sunday evening at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The ace all-rounder led from the front and delivered outstanding performance with bat and ball in the final. After coming from an injury and missing out on competitive sports for a few months, Hardik took up the responsibility of leading the franchise for the first time in the Indian Premier League.
The 28-year-old all-rounder maintained his superb form and was rewarded Player of the Match for his all-around performance in the final clash. Hardik scored 32-runs off 30 deliveries and picked three wickets in the game against Rajasthan Royals. The Gujarat skipper also ended the tournament as the third highest-run getter after KL Rahul and Jos Buttler.
Having seen the struggle and growth of Hardik Pandya from close quarters, elder brother Krunal Pandya penned an emotional note for his brother.
Taking to Twitter, Krunal, who represented Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL 2022, shared the picture of the Gujarat skipper and wrote a special message. In his note, Krunal wrote, "My bro, Only you know the amount of hard work behind this success of yours - early mornings, countless hours of training, discipline and mental strength. And to see you lift the trophy is the fruit of your hard work. You deserve it all and so much more."
Krunal also mentioned how people had criticized Hardik for his flamboyance but mentioned that the latter kept writing history. "People had written you off, but you keep writing history. I wish I was there when more than a lakh people were cheering your name," he went on to add in the note.
Due to his outstanding performance in IPL 2022, Hardik got a call to the Indian T20I side for the five-match T20 series against South Africa, and cricket pundits have predicted that Hardik will be part of India's T20 World Cup squad that is slated to be held in Australia later in the year.