"He is the best captain I have played under" - GT's Yash Dayal on Hardik Pandya's leadership
Left-arm pacer Yash Dayal played an important role for the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the recently concluded season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2022). The Hardik Pandya-led side scripted history by winning the competition in the team's debut season itself.
In a conversation with ESPNcricinfo, Yash lauded Hardik Pandya for being calm and composed while leading the side in the tournament. He pointed out that the talismanic all-rounder would always back the bowler's plans and his approach instilled confidence in him.
The 24-year-old also suggested that he is the best captain that he has played under so far in his career.
Speaking about Hardik Pandya's captaincy, Yash Dayal said:
"Hardik Pandya is very calm and confident, and he knows what to do at what point of the game. He is a bowler's captain. If you have confidence in yourself, he lets you take your own decisions. That further boosts the confidence of a bowler. I would say he is the best captain I have played under."
Hardik Pandya's captaincy in IPL 2022 earned praise from fans and experts alike. He contributed significantly with both bat and ball throughout the season and led his side to the prestigious title in stunning fashion.
India Squad
Hardik Pandya (C), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (vc), Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, R Bishnoi, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik
It is worth mentioning that he has been appointed as the captain of Team India for the upcoming two-match T20I series against Ireland.
"He backed me a lot from the beginning" - Yash Dayal on GT head coach Ashish Nehra
Dayal further explained how he had the support of GT head coach Ashish Nehra in IPL 2022. He mentioned that the former cricketer taught him the importance of sticking to the basics rather than trying too many different things.
Yash added that Nehra helped him perfect the seam and wrist position for in-swing and out-swing. The youngster also highlighted that the ex-pacer also guided him in preparing plans for different situations.
Yash Dayal explained:
"Ashish Nehra backed me a lot from the beginning. Earlier I used to try a lot of different things and experiment. But Ashish sir taught me that one must be centered and focused, and taught me some basic plans to follow without taking too much pressure and not being harsh on yourself. It's a very competitive level of cricket so you must be smart too."
"He taught me seam position for outswing, how to position the hand if you're bowling inswing. He made me work on control a lot. He said how you deliver and execute is crucial, like how you bowl to the openers initially, what's your plan for them, different plans for death over."
The left-armer was picked up by the Gujarat-based franchise for ₹3.20 crore at the IPL 2022 auction. He featured in nine games for the franchise in the latest edition and bagged 11 wickets.