'Pandya has learned from Mahi how to remain calm' - Aakash Chopra dissects Hardik Pandya's captaincy style following IPL success

All-rounder and Gujarat Titans skipper Hardik Pandya once again had a brilliant season during IPL 2023, as he led his team to their second consecutive final. GT were on the verge of becoming the first team ever in the history of the tournament to win two IPL titles in their first two attempts. However, they fell short of the record-breaking feat getting beaten by Chennai Super Kings by five wickets in a final-over thriller.

Following the end of a dramatic season, former India cricketer Aakash Chopra lauded Pandya’s captaincy and said that Gujarat wouldn’t have come this far without their captain. Hardik didn’t have a great season with either bat or ball, however, he managed to marshall his troops splendidly throughout the tournament and took them to their second consecutive final.

"Hardik Pandya's captaincy, this job couldn't have been done without the captaincy. He brings calmness, he brings confidence, he brings belief," said Chopra on his YouTube channel.

Further talking about Pandya’s captaincy, Chopra said that he has learned how to remain calm from MS Dhoni and has found the right balance between his calmness and flamboyance.

"He says he has learned from Mahi how to remain calm. He is otherwise a flamboyant player. That calmness and flamboyance do not actually go hand-in-hand. If you see Dhoni as calm, he is not flamboyant, he is very understated. If you see Kohli as flamboyant, he is also not calm, he is aggressive. Hardik Pandya is finding that balance, the best of both worlds," he concluded.

Pandya played brilliant cameos in Qualifier 2 and final

Hardik Pandya was the fourth-highest run scorer of the season for GT with 346 runs to his name from 15 innings at an average of 31.45 and a strike rate of 136.75 with two fifties to his name. He played brilliant cameos of 28* off 13 against Mumbai Indians during Qualifier 2 and later, clobbered 21* off 12 against CSK in the final to propel his team to a massive total.

However, he didn’t have a great season with the ball having picked up just three wickets from 11 innings and leaked runs at an economy of 9.12.