IPL 2022, GT vs RR | Told David Miller about having good people around gives better results, says Hardik Pandya

Debutants Gujarat Titans (GT) reached the final of the IPL 2022 with a hard-fought seven-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Tuesday in Qualifier 1 of the ongoing edition at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. The Sanju Samson-led side, despite piling up 188/6 after being asked to bat, could not have the last laugh. It was largely due to an impressive knock by David Miller, who stayed till the end and hit three sixes on the trot in the final over, bowled by Prasidh Krishna, to take the Titans over the line with three balls to spare.

Miller remained unbeaten on 68 off 38 balls, with five sixes and three fours. He was ably supported by Hardik Pandya, who was not out on 40 off 27 balls. Shubman Gill and Matthew Wade chipped in with handy contributions as well, scoring 35 runs each to set the tone.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Hardik was pleased with the team's performance after a resounding win against a potent Royals side. When asked about his calm nature in IPL 2022, as a leader, he replied, " I've started to balance things in my life. Has been a constant effort throughout the last couple of years. In the end, my family, my son, my wife, and my brother as well have played a big role. They kind of allowed me to get neutral in life. I look forward to going home and spending some time with family, and that's made me a better cricketer as well."

When asked about Miller's sensational knock, Hardik said, "I just told Miller that if you have good people around you, you get good things. For our team, the genuine humans we have has allowed us to do well. I genuinely see that the boys outside the XI want the players to do well. (Conversations with international stars like Miller/Rashid and youngsters) It is all about that we respect this game. That's the conversation we had with Miller. Rashid has been fantastic throughout, but I am more proud of David. I told him to let's respect this game."

Following the defeat, the Royals will now wait for the winners of the Eliminator, where Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will be taking on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), to play in Qualifier 2.