"MI definitely lost a diamond" - Twitter hails Hardik Pandya for his captain's knock in GT vs RR clash
Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Hardik Pandya continued his good form with the bat as he slammed a stunning half-century against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Thursday in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL 2022).
The RR bowlers claimed two early wickets in the contest and GT were reeling at 15/2. Hardik Pandya steadied the ship for his side and batted till the end.
The right-hander's unbeaten knock of 87 was instrumental in Gujarat posting an impressive total of 192 in the encounter.
The swashbuckler slammed eight fours and four sixes in his innings. He entertained the viewers with his strokeplay as he took the RR bowlers to the cleaners.
Netizens praised the 28-year-old for playing a captain's knock under pressure. Here are some of the reactions:
From India's pov @hardikpandya7 looking in good touch with the bat and bowling at full tilt is the biggest plus from this IPL so far. #RRvGT #IPL2022 https://t.co/BK7OJAFbrl
Top class, proper batsman's innings from Hardik Pandya. He has become the life of this team.
Hardik Pandya great going on back to back half century, great to see the captaincy knock 💪
#GTvsRR #HardikPandya #RRvGT https://t.co/wim9f3lLiw
Hardik Pandya, where have you been all this while! 🤩 #GujaratTitans
What a dream run is Hardik Pandya having on his captaincy debut... leading with both bat & ball! Great signs for Gujarat Titans as well as the Indian team going into the t20 world cup. #IPL2022 #RRvGT
he is fire 
.Meet the new orange cap holder @hardikpandya7. He is not a flower 🌹 he is fire 🔥. https://t.co/lkJCUIWNr1
With every match he is playing, Hardik Pandya is proving why he is rated so highly. #MumbaiIndians definitely lost a diamond ! #IPL2022
I was hearing so much hardik pandya hate. Where are the doubters now?
Hardik the captain is incredible !!! @hardikpandya7
Some people rises in pressure .. organe cap holder #GTvRR
Class maturity shown by @hardikpandya7.The evolution of Hardik Pandya from a finisher to a middle order batsman is absolutely top class.
India can get that ‘pure’ allrounder it was searching since the days of Kapil Dev in the form of Hardik.
Absolutely 🔝 Class maturity shown by @hardikpandya7.
#IPL2022 #RRvsGT
It is worth mentioning that this is Pandya's second half-century of the season. While there were question marks regarding his fitness ahead of the competition, he has silenced his critics with his all-round performances.
Apart from his back-to-back fifties, he also has three wickets to his name in IPL 2022. Furthermore, he is currently the leading run-scorer in the edition and has overtaken Jos Buttler in the Orange Cap list.
GT register an imposing total of 192 on the back of Hardik Pandya's innings
After being asked to bat first at the DY Patil Stadium, GT managed to post an imposing total of 192.
While Hardik Pandya was the top performer with the bat for Gujarat, the likes of Abhinav Manohar (43) and David Miller (31*) also chipped in with valuable contributions.
Gujarat have three wins to their name from four matches so far in IPL 2022. They are currently placed fifth in the points table. RR, on the other hand, are the table-toppers with three victories.
GT got off to a fabulous start in the tournament, claiming decisive victories in their first three encounters. However, they suffered an eight-wicket loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their previous outing.
It remains to be seen if Pandya's innings gets them over the line today.