The Gujarat Titans have been on a splendid run in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League. The side is currently at the top of the table with seven wins in eight matches, and are on course to qualify for the playoffs in their debut appearance in the tournament. Their skipper Hardik Pandya has been key to the side's consistent run in the season; the 28-year-old has scored 305 runs in seven innings so far, and currently stands at fourth position among the top run-getters. Follow IPL 2022 Coverage
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Pandya has been batting at number four for the Titans and in their game against the Kolkata Knight Riders, the captain promoted himself further up the order at 3. He scored an important 67 off 49 deliveries and continues to make a strong case for himself for a return to the national team.
Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh hailed Pandya on his performances in the IPL so far, and suggested that Team India can experiment with him at 3 or 4 and assign finishing duties to a different player.
“Hardik has a great technique. He can be a proper batsman. But we hadn't seen him in this role until now. He usually used to come down the order and smash big hits. Now, he had the opportunity to come to bat with 17-18 overs remaining in the innings, and he has looked like a top-class batsman. I don't want to compare him to anybody but overall, he has been better than many other great batters at the moment,” Harbhajan told Sportskeeda.
{{/usCountry}}“Hardik has a great technique. He can be a proper batsman. But we hadn't seen him in this role until now. He usually used to come down the order and smash big hits. Now, he had the opportunity to come to bat with 17-18 overs remaining in the innings, and he has looked like a top-class batsman. I don't want to compare him to anybody but overall, he has been better than many other great batters at the moment,” Harbhajan told Sportskeeda.
{{/usCountry}}“I would want Hardik to have such chances in the Indian team as well. You can have someone else as a finisher. If you have such solid players at number 3-4, you don't need to send him down the order.”
Pandya has also been bowling economically in the tournament and Harbhajan called his outings with the ball “outstanding.”
“Even with the ball, he has been outstanding. He is putting up his case for selection,” said Harbhajan.