Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya, whose knock of 69 runs helped his side in registering a victory against Kolkata Knight Riders, said that he is currently focusing on playing in IPL and not thinking much about his Team India comeback.
The all-rounder played his last match for India against Namibia in T20 World Cup 2021 in Dubai but was unable to leave a mark because of the pressure he had due to his back surgery. “I don’t think it’s my (India) comeback anyway and secondly I don’t focus on my comeback. I focus on the game which I play. At the moment, I am playing IPL and will focus on IPL, then will see where the future takes. It’s never in my hands now. I focus on the team which I’m playing in. We are doing well and I’m very happy,” said Pandya in a post-match press conference.
Opting to bat first, Gujarat Titans were restricted at 156/9, as Kolkata’s Andre Russell scalped four wickets in the 20th over. “I feel we were 10-15 runs short, they kind of finished very strong. But with the kind of bowling attack, I backed my chances. The wicket had an up and down bounce. The back of the length ball was working pretty nicely,” said Hardik.
The all-rounder further said that he is enjoying his time as the captain of the Gujarat Titans, as he always loves to take responsibility. “Captaincy obviously helps. I’m always a cricketer who loves to take responsibility. I have a bit of understanding of the game having batted for so many years,” said the all-rounder. “You’re successful because you have an understanding of the game. Having played so many matches, I’m able to use my experience. So far, so good,” he added.
Gujarat Titans held their nerve to get their sixth win of the campaign and move back to the top of the IPL 2022 table. The total of 156 is now the lowest to be defended by a team so far in this edition of IPL. Hardik Pandya played a skipper’s knock of 67 off 49 balls while David Miller played a handy inning of 27 for Gujarat Titans. For KKR, Tim Southee scalped three wickets while Shivam Mavi and Umesh Yadav bagged one each.