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Hardik Pandya
Chennai Super Kings batter Ruturaj Gaikwad's dazzling knock of 92 went in vain in the IPL opener against Gujarat Titans but opposition captain Hardik Pandya was all praise of him, saying that he will do wonders for Indian cricket. Gaikwad's classy knock off just 50 balls from which he struck four boundaries and nine sixes took CSK to 178 for 7. The Titans, however, chased down the target with four balls to spare, riding on Shubman Gill's 63 off 36 balls on Friday. "Some of the shots he (Gaikwad) played was nothing to do with the bowling. There were some tremendous shots. Full credit to him the way he batted, and if he continues to do so he is going to do wonders for Indian cricket," Pandya told reporters at the post-match conference. "He has the game and when the time comes I am sure the Indian cricket team will back him enough," he said. The 26-year-old Gaikwad has played nine T20Is after making his debut in July 2021, scoring 135 runs at a modest average of 16.87. He had also pla
India's stand-in skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to bowl first against Australia in the first ODI here on Friday. Hardik is leading the team in the absence of regular skipper Rohit Sharma, who is unavailable for the fixture due to family commitments. The Indian playing XI featured four quicks in Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Hardik and Mohammed Siraj and two spinners in Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav. For Australia, Josh Inglis came in for Alex Carey, who has flown home due to illness. David Warner hasn't fully recovered from his elbow fracture, and all-rounder Mitchell Marsh will open the innings in his place. Teams: India: Hardik Pandya (capt), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan (wk), Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami. Australia: Steven Smith (capt), Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, , Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis(wk), Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Sean Abbott, .
India T20I captain Hardik Pandya has said he will not get unduly perturbed if his side loses a match here and there, adding that the most important thing was to be in "difficult situations", which helps the team prepare for bigger challenges. Pandya also allayed fears about his fitness, saying he had to leave the field for a brief while due to cramps as he didn't have a sound sleep the previous night and didn't drink enough water. India defeated Sri Lanka in the opening T20I by just two runs at the Wankhede Stadium, with unbeaten knocks from Deepak Hooda (41) and Axar Patel (31) giving the hosts a decent target to defend after they were in trouble at 94 for five. "We might lose a game here and there but it's alright. I want to put this team in difficult situations because it will help us in big games. Bilaterals we are very good at and this is how we are going to challenge ourselves. To be honest, all the young guns got us out of the situation today," said Pandya. Hardik had to lea
Going ahead, India's new T20 captain Hardik Pandya is eager to see how his team tackles difficult situations as he seeks to mould it into an outfit capable of ending the country's barren run in world events. Under Hardik's leadership, India began the three-match T20 series against neighbours Sri Lanka on a winning note, prevailing over the islanders by two runs here on Tuesday. Hardik had to leave the field for a brief while after taking a catch. "It is just cramps. Now I have tendency to scare people. I did not sleep well, did not drink enough water and hence the glutes were stiff. I was unwell and I had my fluids down," Hardik said at the presentation ceremony. With Sri Lanka needing 13 runs in the last over to overhaul India's total of 162, the decision to give spinner Axar Patel the ball was a bit surprising. "We might lose a game here and there but it's alright. I want to put this team in difficult situations because it will help us in big games. Bilaterals we are very good a