Hardik's calm demeanour on the field as captain reminds many of Captain Cool Mahendra Singh Dhoni, whom the Baroda all-rounder considers one of his mentors.
But won against Ranbir Kapoor, recalls adman Sandeep Goyal.
India's one-day and Twenty20 captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was on Monday chosen for the Raviv Gandhi Khel Ratna, the country's highest honour for a sportsperson.
Also present: Ravi Shastri and Harbhajan Singh.
'He's got a lot of time ahead of him'
As many as four world-class match-winners are expected to bid adieu to the game one by one in the next couple of years and Gautam Gambhir is in an unenviable position as head coach.
Pakistan's Shoaib Malik, captain Babar Azam among others were seen listening intently while Dhoni shared his thoughts with them.
Dwaine Pretorius made his IPL debut for Chennai Super Kings this year
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's calm demeanour under pressure has helped him emerge as India's most successful captain and a role model for youngsters, believes swashbuckling opener Rohit Sharma. Dhoni had led India to victory in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 and then notched up a title triumph at the 2011 World Cup, beating Sri Lanka in the final in Mumbai. He also led the Chennai Super Kings to three IPL titles.
India should appoint a full-time coach before the burden of leadership begins to affect new captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, several former players said.
The BCCI will be organising a six-week camp for its top cricketers some time next month and speculation has started on whether former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be part of it. While the BCCI is waiting for a safe time and venue for the camp after third week of July. In case it's not possible, players will probably go in for their respective IPL camps later during the year.
Gujarat Titans, under the guidance of Hardik Pandya, sailed into their second successive IPL final after blowing away five-time champions Mumbai Indians.
Cricketing legends and captains, past and present, echoed their sentiments, while groundsmen and support staff were honoured.
'The only person who genuinely reached out to me was MS Dhoni'
Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Riyan Parag believes when it comes to the finisher's role, no one comes close to MS Dhoni.
India committed a "tactical blunder" by dropping Mahendra Singh Dhoni to number seven in the batting order, said former stalwarts Sourav Ganguly and V V S Laxman.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is unlikely to play for India again even if he has a fabulous IPL season for Chennai Super Kings, said Harbhajan Singh, reacting to the news of the former skipper being dropped from BCCI's list of centrally contracted players.
'The way he has batted everywhere, and in the last year he has just been brilliant.' 'He will keep taking the team forward and that is what you want from a leader.'
Rohit Sharma will be looking to get his act together as batter and skipper when his star-studded Mumbai Indians take on an astute Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings in what could be safely billed as a Saturday night IPL blockbuster.
In 2007 MS Dhoni embarked on his journey as India's captain, forever altering the landscape of cricket in this fervent nation.
Padikkal's innings against Punjab Kings wasn't just a return to form -- it was a powerful reminder of his talent, timing, and temperament.
Ben Stokes and his team-mates have their task cut out as they look to emulate Alastair Cook-led England's historic India series win in 2012.
A top official of a franchise welcomed the steps taken by the BCCI.
Rise of Suryavanshi: Facing 600 balls-a-day from age of 10 to playing 150km throwdowns
The Indian players now have the opportunity to etch their names in the annals of cricketing history, with Dravid's dream, their dream, finally within reach.
'I think they (Mumbai) realised they would have to pay Sachin $1.65 million and Dhoni $1.5 million, five million was the purse and sixty per cent of the purse would go to these two players.' 'So they stopped and that's how we got Dhoni.'
He is the first Indian to achieve the feat of scoring a century in all three formats in international cricket at a single venue.
'It was a difficult one because I knew that this would be my last World Cup, so it would have been good to be on the winning side.'
'You just have to adapt and change according to how they expect you to be and not just sort of stress them out.'
Mahendra Singh Dhoni knows how to pace his innings according to varied match situations which still makes him an asset for India
Rishabh Pant broke Mahendra Singh Dhoni's record to become the fastest Indian wicketkeeper to reach 100 dismissals, during the first Test against South Africa in Centurion on Tuesday.
Faf du Plessis believes Mahendra Singh Dhoni, among others, helped him mature as a leader
Dhoni surprised everyone by sending Curran up the order with 29 needed off 17 balls.
Rauf currently represents the Melbourne Stars in the Australian Big Bash League (BBL).
The gesture was reminiscent of fan reverence in a similar manner for Gaikwad's Chennai Super Kings teammate and former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni
MS Dhoni, who has not played since the World Cup semi-final loss to New Zealand in July, will be making his highly awaited comeback in the IPL beginning March 29. The national selection committee has not changed the panel's stance on Dhoni, who will 'have to perform' in the upcoming Indian Premier League to be considered for T20 World Cup selection.
With Pant likely to don the wicket-keeper's gloves when Virat Kohli and his team take on Joe Root's Englishmen in Chennai on February 5, we trust Dhoni gave the young man enough gyaan to improve his 'keeping and take every catch that comes to him.
Virat Kohli has expressed his full support for Rajat Patidar as the new captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), praising Patidar's consistency and discipline.
Bonafide six-hitter Shivam Dube on Monday said his ability to play a wide range of strokes against spinners is "god's gift" but overcoming issues against express pace and bounce will require plenty of hard work.
All about IPL 2025 which kicks off on March 22, Saturday.
