"I think he has been the best captain so far" - Brad Hogg praises Hardik Pandya's captaincy skills in IPL 2022
Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg has rated Hardik Pandya as the best captain in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 so far. The all-rounder has led Gujarat Titans (GT) to the top of the IPL point table at the halfway mark.
Pandya marked his maiden captaincy venture with a win over Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), and the franchise has rode the momentum since then. The Titans secured a win even in the absence of Pandya, beating Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Pune by three wickets.
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Opining that Pandya could potentially lead the Indian white ball team in the future, Hogg said on his YouTube channel:
"If you have got a dominant bowling attack, you are bringing the cream to the top. Gujarat Titans are led well by Hardik Pandya. Now, I think he has been the best captain in IPL 2022 so far."
Hogg continued:
"I won't be surprised if he leads India in white-ball cricket in two years' time. He is the leader; he takes the bull by its horns. When the pressure is on, he wants to be out there in the moment and take it on."
Pandya has played the all-rounder's role to perfection in the ongoing tournament. Promoting himself to No. 4, the 28-year-old has been among the runs and has also bowled his full quota of overs consistently. He has bagged 228 runs (eighth best) and four wickets in five games.
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"Pandya will give himself the ball when the game is on the line" - Brad Hogg
The newly appointed GT captain has taken up the responsibility of bowling up front with the new ball, as well as bowling the tough overs at the back end. He has taken four wickets in five matches at an economy rate of 7.57.
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Lauding Pandya for taking up responsibility, Hogg said:
"He will give himself the ball when the game is on the line, and he is up against the best batter in the opposition team. He won't leave it to anyone else even though he has got the best bowling attack in the league in Shami, Ferguson, Alzarri, and then you've got Dayal."
Hogg concluded:
"The left-arm bowler (Yash Dayal) complements the bowling attack well; the opposition attacks will go after him, and he will pick a lot of wickets later on in the tournament."
According to the IPL schedule 2022, the Titans will look to extend their lead atop the table when they take on the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the DY Patil Stadium on April 23 (Saturday).