"I am enjoying captaincy; always wanted to have responsibility as a cricketer. That is the reason I have become a better cricketer.'
'Rashid Khan is my trump card and I'll use him in the worse situation to bring me out of that.'
Hardik Pandya is revelling in his new role as the leader of Gujarat Titans. The extra responsibility and challenges, he says, have made him a better cricketer.
Pandya notched his third victory as skipper in the IPL on Friday after Gujarat Titans beat Punjab Kings by six wickets.
The new entrants have a 100 per cent record in the league, having won all their matches so far. They are second on the points table.
Pandya has contributed with the bat, besides bowling a full quota of four overs while captaining the side.
"I am enjoying captaincy; always wanted to have responsibility as a cricketer and that is the reason I have become a better cricketer, because facing challenges makes you better," he said, at the post-match presentation.
"I have been on both sides before. I have won and lost; so (I'm) cool and composed because I try to stay neutral.
"That's our team motto as well; win or lose we are neutral. We celebrate our losses also. They are very important as it gives the wins more value," he added.
Young Shubman Gill scored a magnificent 96 off 59 balls before all-rounder Rahul Tewatia hit a couple of sixes off the last two deliveries to seal a memorable win for the Titans.
Gill is in splendid form. Before the 96 against Punjab Kings, he scored an 84 against Delhi Capitals.
"Shubman is taking a lot of responsibility; he expresses himself in the meetings and that is showing in his batting also. He knows how important he is for the franchise. The way he has batted in the last two matches… didn't have to say too much to him; just to enjoy."
Rashid Khan is Pandya’s trump card.
He feels the star spinner has the ability to pull the team out of any situation in a match.
Gujarat Titans picked up Rashid in the draft. Such is the spinner's effect on the matches that the opposition batters often try to play out his four overs without taking any risks.
"Rashid Khan is my trump card and I'll use him in the worse situation to bring me out of that.
"A lot of time I have seen that in the IPL batters are trying to play him out, which I don't want. I want people to attack him and that's where he has been very useful to us," he said, lavishing rich praise on the Afghan spinner.
"It's a blessing to have someone like Rashid in the team. You know that at any given point he can put you back in the game.
"That's the role that has been given to him. He's the vice-captain because of the importance he has. He is an aggressive spinner who is always looking to take wickets."
