(Watch): Captain gets captain as Hardik Pandya holes out to Krunal Pandya
With Hardik Pandya pitted against Krunal Pandya in the IPL 2023 contest between Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants in Ahmedabad, the former's dismissal was an interesting one.
The right-handed batter slapped a mistimed shot straight to his brother at cover. The dismissal occurred in the 16th over of the innings as the all-rounder threatened to go hammer and tongs, having smashed two sixes in the previous over.
However, Mohsin Khan stopped the bleeding, as the Titans captain perished despite playing a powerful shot.
Here's the video of Hardik Pandya holing out to his brother Krunal Pandya.
ICYMI!
Batter to get out - Pandya
Fielder to take the catch - Pandya
#TATAIPL #GTvLSG twitter.com/IPL/status/165… https://t.co/ZBi3EqPXLj
Nevertheless, the swashbuckling all-rounder gave the defending champions the required momentum after coming in at number three. He added a quickfire 42 with Shubman Gill as the hosts finished with a mammothe 226 in their allotted 20 overs. Gill also top-scored with an unbeaten 94.
"It's an emotional day, our father would have been proud" - Hardik Pandya
At the toss, Hardik admitted that their family is proud, given that the two brothers are taking on each other for the first time. The 29-year-old also underlined the need to play positively:
"We would have batted. I got what I wanted. It's an emotional day, our father would have been proud. This is something happening for the first time, so our family is proud. One Pandya will definitely win today. It's about expressing ourselves and not worry about the result. The fear of failure might creep in, but we need to play good cricket. One forced change, Little is out as he has to play for Ireland, Alzarri comes in for him."
The duo played multiple seasons for the Mumbai Indians and were integral to their success.
The Titans, meanwhile, stunned the Super Giants when they locked horns in Lucknow, defending a modest 135 despite KL Rahul's 61-ball 68. The Super Giants' recent form has also been inconsistent. By contrast, Titans are the at the top in the standings with seven wins in ten games.