‘I feed on love’

Hardik Pandya

The most poignant moment was when Hardik Pandya's wife Natasa Stankovic ran on to the ground to hug him, overwhelmed with emotion after IPL debutants Gujarat Titans thrashed the tournament's inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday night.

Stankovic kept weeping even as Pandya tried hard to calm her. "She is very emotional and gets happy when she sees me doing well. She has seen me go through a lot of things. She has seen me putting in the hard yards no matter what. That's something I don't speak about, but she knows how hard I have worked behind the scenes," Pandya said at the post-match virtual press conference.

Family members in tears

"My brother [Krunal] cried when I called him. My sister-in-law [Pankhuri] cried as well. These are tears of happiness and something fantastic. I live on and feed on love that I keep getting from my family," he added.

Gujarat Titans with the IPL winners trophy in Ahmedabad on Sunday. Pics/BCCI; IPL

Pandya's constant companion in the last 12 months or so has been questions, either about his fitness, his bowling, batting or the all-rounder tag. When Pandya was chosen as the Gujarat Titans captain, there were questions raised then too, especially since he had never led any senior team until then.

Pandya's doubters were at him again after he missed the match against Chennai Super Kings on April 17.

At the start of GT's campaign, Pandya kept things under wraps about his bowling. Pandya ended up bowling 30 overs in GT's successful run. However, with his power-packed performance in the final showdown, where he claimed 3-17 and scored a crucial 34 off 30 balls, Pandya has silenced his critics once and for all.

"I wanted to show what I had worked hard for. Today was the day I saved the best for," Pandya said at the post-match presentation ceremony. However, he dismissed his own statement in the post-match media conference, saying: "Yeh sab bolne ki baatein hai [It's just for the sake of saying]."

Pandya came under scrutiny ever since the half-fit all-rounder was picked for the T20 World Cup last year in the UAE, where India failed to make it to the knockout stage. Dropped from the national team, Pandya literally went into hiding. He stayed away from public glare to focus on his game and fitness. He would practise his drills at Bandra's MIG Cricket Club, which he would access at odd hours to avoid public attention.

While most of the Gujarat Titans players were training at their home ground here before the IPL, Pandya was busy doing his own drills miles away from his new teammates in Mumbai and Baroda. He joined them only a few days before entering the bio-bubble.

Throughout IPL-15, Pandya religiously followed his fitness routine that included, among other things, taking a couple of rounds of the ground before every match.

Won five out of five finals

Pandya has been in five IPL finals - four with Mumbai Indians - but this was extra special. "This will be special since I was captain. The previous four times were also special. I consider myself lucky to have played five finals and lifted the trophy on all occasions. Throughout the season, I've always enjoyed responsibility. It gets the best out of me," concluded Pandya.