Mohammed Shami gave this advice to Hardik, compared with Dhoni-Kohli and Rohit
Cricket
oi-Rahul Singh
New Delhi. Gujarat Titans pacer Mohammed Shami believes that skipper Hardik Pandya has softened a lot since assuming the responsibility of captaining the team. Gujarat Titans rose above expectations under Pandya’s leadership to become the first team to make it to the playoffs in IPL 2022. Titans are now at the first position with 18 points from 12 matches. After a long wait to make a comeback from his injury, Pandya has been praised for his tactical ability and performance in all three departments for the team.
Shami was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times, “Hardik has become more normal after becoming the captain. His reactions are calm now. I have advised him to control his emotions on the field as the whole world watches cricket. As a captain it is very important to be sensible and understand the situations and he has played that role to the fullest.”
Shami has taken 16 wickets for GT. He is a great bowler in the team along with other lethal bowlers like Rashid Khan and Lockie Ferguson. The 31-year-old bowler compared Pandya’s captaincy style to that of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. “Every captain has a different temperament. Mahi (Dhoni) bhai was calm, Virat was aggressive, Rohit moves according to match conditions, so understanding Hardik’s mindset is not rocket science. Such is his nature as well.”
Shami is currently one of the best bowlers in the world. He has been at his best for the team in the powerplays and has led GT to significant successes. He has also been special to the Indian team and has made sure to fulfill the responsibilities of being an experienced player in the team. Speaking about his performance in the tournament this year, he said, “As far as my performance is concerned, whenever I was given the white ball, I always tried to give my 100 percent. Not just this season, if you look at the last four seasons, you can see that no one (the teams he played for) took more wickets than me. Whenever any responsibility is assigned to me, I have always tried to live up to it. I have always tried to play my part up to 100 percent of my potential.”
Story first published: Sunday, May 15, 2022, 16:21 [IST]
