IPL 2022 | Hardik Pandya wants us to work hard and win, reveals David Miller

03/29/2022

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Gujarat Titans' David Miller has said that the captain Hardik Pandya wants the team to work hard and register victories after they won their first match against Lucknow Super Giants. Gujarat won the game by five wickets and Miller played a key role, scoring 30 runs from 21 balls during the chase.

Gujarat Titans (GT) started their campaign in the IPL 2022 on a winning note beating Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) by five wickets. GT bowled first and Mohammed Shami showcased his perfection with seam movement taking three quick wickets. LSG were reduced to 29/4 at one stage but Deepak Hooda and the young Ayush Badoni rescued them from the situation. Hooda scored 55 runs from 41 balls while Badoni plundered 54 runs from 41 balls. The team posted a total of 158/6.

In response, GT also lost two early wickets but the partnership between captain Hardik Pandya and David Miller stabilized the innings. Rahul Tewatia’s knock, in the end, guided his team to a victory over the opposition. This was also the first game for Hardik Pandya as the captain of GT. He took some wise decisions like continuing Shami for three overs considering the way he was bowling. While reflecting on the captaincy of Hardik Pandya, Miller has stated that he wants the team to work hard and win the games.

"I have played against him a few times. So what I have seen on the field of him in the past was exactly what I was expecting. He asked us to have fun. He wants us to work hard and wants to win," Miller said in the post-match press conference.

"It's just about reiterating the amount of fun and what a great opportunity this is to be at the IPL and play at this level. So far, so good with his leadership. Really looking forward to working alongside him for the next two months. Just to go out and express ourselves and enjoy what we do.”

The turning point of the match came during the 16th over bowled by Deepak Hooda in the second innings. He leaked 22 runs from the over and Ravi Bishnoi conceded 17 in the next over. Rahul Tewatia and Miller smashed some big hits in these two overs. Tewatia also stayed at the crease till the end playing the knock of 40 runs from 24 balls in the winning cause.

"We tried to give ourselves the best chance, and then that one over from the spinner (Hooda) went for 21 (22 runs) and the next over (from Ravi Bishnoi) for another 19 (17 runs). It was really nice to be out there with him (Tewatia) and see what he is capable of,” he explained.

"In the last couple of years, Rahul has chased down some imposing totals. We were just waiting for the momentum to shift. We took our time initially and couldn't get going. But we knew that if we took it deep, we could chase 40 in the last 3 overs on this particular ground.”

GT will play their next match against Delhi Capitals on April 2 at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune.