IPL 2022: Will bat at No 4 so others can play freely, believes Gujarat skipper Hardik Pandya

Mumbai: Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Hardik Pandya expressed happiness after his side defeated Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the clash of debutants of Indian Premier League (IPL), 2022 on Monday.

Fighting knocks from Deepak Hooda and Ayush Badoni guided Lucknow Super Giants to 158/6 in their assigned 20 overs before their fellow IPL debutants Gujarat Titans chased the target with two balls to spare.

"This was the right game for us to be on either side and learn, but have learnt a lot by winning. Shami is known for his seam positions and he got us to a great start. We would have any day taken 160 on this wicket.

Mostly I'll bat at number four because I want to take pressure with my experience so that the others can play freely. We want to win as a team and nobody can take the contribution away from anyway," said Hardik in a post-match presentation.

"It was quite humid as well, so I wouldn't have finished Shami's spell over there. Manohar is some talent to look at with the talent he has.

He is someone who you are going to hear about in the future. Tewatia was sensational as well. Getting out to Krunal would have pinched me more had we lost, but now the family is neutral and happy. He got me out and we won the match," he added.

Rahul Tewatia 40*, Matthew Wade 30, Hardik Pandya 33, and David Miller 30 played inspiring knocks for Gujarat as they chased the target of 159 with two balls to spare against Lucknow.