“LSG called me, and I was excited to go there because of KL. Then, Nehra…’: Hardik’s shocking GT confession
In the 2022 season of the Indian Premier League, the Gujarat Titans had a great year, and one of the main reasons they won was because of their leader, Hardik Pandya. After taking a nearly six-month break from cricket, Hardik scored the most runs for his team and led them to a resounding win in their first campaign. He finally made it back to Team India’s limited-overs squads and led the team in all T20Is this year.
But the all-rounder has now said that things could have been very different for him because he was close to the Lucknow Super Giants in the last edition of the event, when they were also making their debut. Both the Titans and the Super Giants were new to the league, and the LSG had just hired KL Rahul as the team’s captain. Hardik has now said that he was close to joining Rahul with the club because he gets along well with the India batter.
“I also got a call from the other team, which was a new IPL team (Lucknow Super Giants). KL Rahul, who I knew, was in charge of the team. “At the stage I was at, it was very important to me to play with someone who already knew me,” Hardik told Gaurav Kapoor in a podcast for Gujarat Titans.
“I’ve always found that people who know me see things differently than those who have never met me or been close to me. When I had the chance to work with someone I already knew, I jumped at the chance,” Hardik said.
The all-rounder then talks about how he changed his mind after getting a call from Ashish Nehra, who later became the Titans’ head coach. Nehra tried to get Hardik to join the team and said that the all-rounder would be in charge of the group.
“Then, however, Ashu pa called me. At the time, the team didn’t have permission to be in the IPL either. Things were all over the place, and nothing was fixed. ‘I’ll be the coach,’ he said. It’s not set up yet, but I’ll be the coach. I said, “Ashu pa, if you weren’t there, I wouldn’t have even thought about this because you’re saying this… I’ve always felt like you’re the only person who gets me,” Hardik said.
“I’m easy to work with, and people who know me know what I’m like. I think Nehra is one of those people who knows how to get along with me. I was totally out of the loop because I took a break from the sport and took a sabbatical. I had chosen to say no to everything.
“‘Ashu pa, it’s very important for me to know what you’re looking at,’ I told him. We had a good chat. “Okay, let me think about it,” I said. Moments after the call ended, he sent me a message that said, “If you’re ready, I’d like you to be captain.” I was surprised by that. I wasn’t ready for that. I’ve never been someone who ran after something. If someone comes, it comes. “When I found out, I was in a different place,” said Hardik.
In the end, Hardik and Nehra did wonders for the Titans. In the 2022 season, the Titans finished at the top of the table and beat the Rajasthan Royals in the final. Titans are off to a good start again this year. They have won three of their first four games and are currently third in the table.