'He is one of the main reasons why Gujarat have 2 wins already': Swann says Pandya has put talks on fitness to rest

Hardik Pandya has bowled his full quota of four overs in both matches, getting the first wicket for his team in their 14-run win over Delhi Capitals.

Published on: Apr 3, 2022, 16:42:20 IST

By hindustantimes.com

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Hardik Pandya has shown that he is back to full fitness by the way he is bowling for the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and looking at how he is leading the side, former England spinner Graeme Swann has said. The Titans have won both their opening fixtures in their debut season and captain Pandya has played a vital role with both ball and bat.

Pandya took a wicket off his very first ball of the match.  (IPL Twitter)

ALSO READ | 'Nice to have captain who trusts your skills': GT's star pacer lauds Pandya's captaincy; 'He always gives us confidence'

He scored 33 off 28 balls against the Lucknow Super Giants in their first match of the season after which he scored 31 off 27 in their 14-run win over Delhi Capitals on Saturday. Moreover, Pandya also bowled his full quota of four overs in both matches. Whether Pandya will be bowling or not due to his struggles with injury in recent years was one of the big talking points ahead of the IPL.

"He is like a kid who has been made captain of an U-15 team. Boy! Isn't he doing it well, I was very, very impressed with his captaincy. He has got an aura and personality, he owns himself to leading other men. He looks calm, he always looks calculated," Swann told Star Sports.

Pandya went wicketless in the first match but returned figures of 1/22 against DC, dismissing opener Tim Seifert off his very first ball of the match. Pandya managed to maintain his speed between 130 kph and 135 kph as well in both matches, yet another indicator of the all-rounder returning to full fitness.

Pandya was a regular in all three formats for India before a back injury in the 2018 Asia Cup. Since then, he has been able to bowl only sporadically and he eventually lost his place in the Indian team in ODIs and Tests.

"His bowling itself is good. We are never allowed to ask about his bowling and he has put all the talks about his fitness to rest. He has worked hard on his fitness, he has gotten back to a 100 percent. He was bowling quick.

“He was very, very impressive. He is one of the main reasons why Gujarat have put 2 wins already,” said Swann.

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