"We didn't see a better captain than Hardik Pandya in this IPL" - Mohammad Kaif lauds Gujarat Titans skipper's captaincy and batting vs RR

Mohammad Kaif has praised Hardik Pandya for his astute captaincy in IPL 2022 and his meticulously planned knock in the Qualifier 1 encounter against the Rajasthan Royals (RR).

Pandya led the Gujarat Titans (GT) to a seven-wicket win in Tuesday's (May 24) Qualifier 1 clash against the Royals. The win helped the Titans book their spot in the IPL 2022 final, which will be played on Sunday (May 29) in Ahmedabad.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Mohammad Kaif was asked about his views on Pandya's captaincy. He responded:

"The guy (Pandya) stands at mid-off and speaks to the bowler on every ball, so much coordination, so much talk, you can talk about the transparency or the role. We didn't see a better captain than Hardik Pandya in this IPL, he did fantastic captaincy."

The former India cricketer pointed out that Pandya made a well-thought-out decision to ask the Royals to bat first. Kaif explained:

"He knows when to bat or bowl after winning the toss. They won eight of their first nine matches, they played badly after that, they came here after losing three of their last five matches. This was a pressure game for them but still said that these are new conditions, it is overcast, it had rained, so they will field first."

Many cricket pundits were skeptical when the Gujarat Titans appointed Hardik Pandya as their skipper. But the Baroda all-rounder has silenced his critics by leading the tournament newcomers to the IPL 2022 final.

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"The start Hardik Pandya gave, allowed Miller the time" - Mohammad Kaif

Hardik Pandya and David Miller's partnership took the Gujarat Titans across the line [P/C: iplt20.com]

Speaking about Pandya's knock in Tuesday's game, Kaif lauded the GT skipper for allowing David Miller to get his eye in at the other end. He elaborated:

"The start Hardik Pandya gave, allowed Miller the time. Miller was taking his time but when he (Pandya) came, he started playing his shots. He was dealing in fours, didn't hit a six but Miller got the relief that he can take his time."

The former Delhi Capitals assistant coach concluded by observing that Pandya was in control of the situation in the company of Miller. Kaif stated:

"When he (Pandya) came, he had reached 22 runs off the 11 balls, it shows he has the form. He said that he will play at No. 4, he has decided his number. He looked in control overall and the way both of them finished, it was a fantastic partnership."

Pandya and Miller strung together an unbroken 106-run partnership after the Titans were reduced to a score of 85/3 in the tenth over. While the former Mumbai Indians all-rounder was the early aggressor, Miller took over the mantle as the innings progressed and closed out the chase with three consecutive sixes in the 20th over.