Ever since Hardik Pandya has become the captain of Gujarat Titans, he has been phenomenal on the field. The 28-year-old all-rounder is not only just scoring runs but is also bowling full throttle. On Thursday, he scored a second consecutive half-century in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 match no. 24 against Rajasthan Royals. He continued to bat at no. 4 and scored the sixth half-century in the league off just 33 deliveries.
Hardik’s return to form is also a positive development for the Indian selectors who will pick a 15-man squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia. He has worked hard on his fitness at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru and returned as a better cricketer in the IPL 2022. (RR vs GT IPL 2022 Match No. 24 Live Cricket Score)
Meanwhile, he is having a great time with his new teammates at the GT camp. After representing Mumbai Indians for seven years, Pandya is leading a side in the league and never misses an opportunity to have fun with other players. On Thursday, he was seen imitating the bowling action of ace leg-spinner Rashid Khan before the clash against RR at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai.
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He gripped the ball, ran through and bowled it just like Rashid does. The wicketkeeper picked it up and returned it to the all-rounder. As Pandya got the ball back, he started running with both arms wide open. Before taking off, Rashid came closer to him and was seen giggling, along with Rahul Tewatia.
Here’s the video:
Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson won the toss and opted to bowl first against Gujarat Titans in an IPL 2022 match at DY Patil Stadium here on Thursday. Rajasthan was forced to make a change in their playing XI, bringing in all-rounder Jimmy Neesham in place of pacer Trent Boult, who has a niggle.
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“We did a very good job to win the game with dew conditions and losing the toss but I’d like to use the conditions. Yesterday, Trent Boult had a small niggle and isn’t available for today’s game. Jimmy Neesham is replacing him,”said Samson at the toss.
On the other hand, Hardik Pandya led Gujarat Titans also made two changes as Yash Dayal, Vijay Shankar came in place of Darshan Nalkande and Sai Sudharshan.
(With Agency Inputs)
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