'I'll take the trophy rather than...': GT captain Hardik Pandya makes big statement after winning IPL 2022 title

The Gujarat Titans won the Indian Premier League in their first attempt on Sunday with all-rounder Hardik Pandya leading his team to an emphatic seven-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals in the final. Pandya grabbed 3-17 with impeccable medium-fast bowling to restrict Rajasthan to 130-9 after Sanju Samson won the toss and chose to bat. The GT then made a crucial 34 off 30 balls as Gujarat reached 133-3 in 18.1 overs in front of a raucous crowd of more than 100,000 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. 

The all-rounder spoke in detail about his performance in the presentation after he was named the Man of the Match, insisting that he had saved his “best for the best.”

Watch: Furious Hardik Pandya loses cool after being dismissed; shouts in dugout

“It had to come. I was saving for the best. I worked very hard for it. I wanted to show what I worked hard for, at the right time. Today was the day, where I saved the best for the best in terms of bowling,” said Hardik.

The all-rounder is known for his explosive style of batting, but throughout the IPL 2022, Pandya has played with significant composure and ended as the season's fourth-highest run-getter with 487 runs in 15 innings.  

“On any given day, I will take the trophy rather than me batting at 160-170 strike rate. For me, my team is the most important, whichever team I play for. I have always been that kind of individual. Outside noise does not bother me. If I had to sacrifice and have a worse season and my team wins, I'll take that,” said Pandya.

“I always fancy myself as a batter. Batting comes first to me. It's always going to be close to my heart. When we got the auction done, it was clear that I had to bat up the order,” he further added.