IPL 2022: 'Want to emulate my brother MS Dhoni': GT captain Hardik Pandya sends warning to other teams

Gujarat Titans (GT) will open their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 campaign against fellow debutants Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday (March 28). Star Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been roped in as the captain of the side and will be leading a team for the first time in his IPL career. Hardik has fired a warning to the other IPL sides ahead of his debut campaign as captain of the side.

Speaking in a video shared by Gujarat Titans ahead of their opening clash against Lucknow Super Giants, Hardik can be seen speaking about his ambitions for the season. The star all-rounder says he is going to aim for sporting success and would like to emulate none other than the legendary MS Dhoni.

Calling Dhoni his brother, Hardik said it's no secret that he would like to do what Dhoni has done with Chennai Super Kings as their captain over the years. Dhoni is one of the greatest leaders of all time in world cricket and is one of the most successful captains in the history of IPL with four titles and nine finals to his name. Dhoni stepped down as CSK's captain ahead of IPL 2022 to hand over the baton to Ravindra Jadeja.

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While Hardik makes it clear he wants to emulate Dhoni's success as captain, he also goes on to state that he has learnt a lot from his hero Sachin Tendulkar during his time with Mumbai Indians and the lessons from the Master Blaster will help him when he leads the Titans this season.

“I am not going to tell you from I come from. You probably know that. I will tell you where I am taking you. It's towards that peak called sporting success," Hardik said in the video.

“That sweet lofty spot, where grit lives with the grind, labour leads to luck. It is a range that my brother (MS Dhoni) has scaled and I have made no attempts to hide that I want to emulate him. It’s a place that my hero (Sachin Tendulkar) has owned and told me stories of how he got there,” he added.

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Referring to his brother Krunal Pandya, who is now part of the Lucknow Super Giants side and good friend KL Rahul, who will be leading Lucknow, Hardik said he is aware that he is going to come up against some of his friends and sibling when he leads Gujarat Titans but is battle-hardened for the season.

The all-rounder warned the teams that he is aware the teams are slightly worried of his ability to take the bowlers to the cleaners and turn a game around for his team when he walks out on the field with a bat in hand.

“It is a journey that will pit me sometimes against my sibling, my soulmate and many of my closest friends. And like every flight, this too may have turbulence. But hey, look at me. If I have survived being in a national storm, a ban, a gruelling back injury and more, I know what it takes,” Hardik said.

“Confidence, flamboyance, whatever you term it... I just know that when I walk out with bat in hand, my opponents get tiny little chills in their spine, knowing that I can pull off a heist," he added.

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Apart from Hardik, Gujarat Titans have the likes of Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Lockie Ferguson and Rahul Tewatia among others in the squad who can all be game-changers on their day.