'There are a lot of similarities between the two'- Star Gujarat player compares Hardik Pandya to MS Dhoni

Hardik Pandya led the Gujarat-based franchise to their maiden Indian T20 League title. The fact that they won the same in just their debut season turned out to be an absolute icing over the cake. Pandya showed great skills throughout the season, and took many great decisions on the field. His performance as a player also was brilliant as he showed a lot of maturity in his game. After the competition, the all-rounder received appreciation from all sides for his leadership and cool demeanour under pressure.

Gujarat left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore, who played with Chennai prior to the 2022 season, has compared Hardik Pandya's captaincy to that of former India captain MS Dhoni. "There are a lot of similarities between the two. Much like Dhoni, Hardik has the knack for getting the best out of his players. Both put the team before themselves and that's what you expect from your leader. I would call Hardik the junior version of Dhoni," said Sai Kishore while speaking to The Times of India.

The spinner did not play for Chennai during his time there as he made his debut for Gujarat this season during their game against Lucknow. He took two wickets for seven runs in his two overs in his debut game. He subsequently went on to play in every other match. He took two wickets in the final as well.

Reflecting on his performance in the season, he said, "It was a great season but I feel I can do better. I will want to continue improving my game in the coming months."

While he did not play a match for Chennai, he credited most of his knowledge to Dhoni. "Bowling to MS Dhoni at the nets and speaking to him about the game did a world of good for me. My game-reading skills have improved," he said.

The left-arm spinner concluded the season with six wickets in five matches at an economy rate of 7.56. As for his captain Pandya, he scored 487 runs in 15 matches at an average of 44.27. He was also handy with the ball, picking eight wickets in 10 innings at an economy of 7.3.