'He has not lived up to the hype that goes with him. It's been in patches': Sri Lanka great dissects Hardik's captaincy

Hardik has assumed a new role with the bat, playing at No.4 for the Gujarat franchise. He also returned to bowling his full quota of four overs

The 2022 edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) has offered new captaincy positions to few Indian stars and star all-rounder Hardik Pandya is among them, who is presently leading the Gujarat Titans side, the only team to remain unbeaten in the the tournament so far. Analysing the team's performance under new captain and his leadership style, former Sri Lanka cricketer Russel Arnold gave his verdict on Hardik's performance.

Gujarat Titan Hardik Pandya celebrate a wicket during the IPL 2022 match between Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans, at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, in Pune on Saturday(IPL Twitter)

Hardik has assumed a new role with the bat, playing at No.4 for the Gujarat franchise, contrary to No.5 or 6 where he batted for Mumbai Indians and for Team India in the T20 format. He scored 33 and 31 in the two games, both which the Titans won. He also returned to bowling his full quota of four overs. While he went wicketless in the first game against Lucknow Super Giants, Hardik finished with 1 for 22 against Delhi Capitals in the second game.

Speaking to Cricket.com, Arnold hailed Hardik for leading from the front especially with the bat and was impressed with him batting at No.4 for the Titans. However, the former Sri Lanka all-rounder feels that there more of Hardik yet to be seen in the tournament.

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"I like what he is doing. [If] he comes in later in an innings, of course, the strike-rate is up and he makes an impact,” Arnold said.

“But if he plays more balls, score more runs and quietly gets his strike-rate up and set himself up for the death overs, where he is in a better position to play those big shots, I think he will be more destructive.

“The fact that he is getting out there and trying to do the business is rubbing off on the team. It's a captain leading from the front is exactly what you want. There's a lot more to come from Pandya. He really has not lived up to expectations, the hype that goes with him. It has been in patches. This is the opportunity and he's made a great start.”

Gujarat will play their third game against Punjab Kings on Friday.