IPL 2022: Hardik Pandya's wife Natasa was smiling when she saw him bowling, reveals Suresh Raina

Both Pathan and former Raina claimed that the newcomer Gujarat Titans skipper bowled nicely in their opening game and he will only get better as the season progresses

Former Indian cricketers Irfan Pathan and Suresh Raina lauded Hardik Pandya's comeback as a bowler as they were impressed with his fitness in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.

Both Pathan and former Raina claimed that the newcomer Gujarat Titans skipper bowled nicely in their opening game and he will only get better as the season progresses.

Newcomer Gujarat Titans (GT) started their first IPL campaign with a five-wicket victory against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) last Monday.

Delhi Capitals (DC) defeated five times IPL champions Mumbai Indians (MI) by four wickets in their opening match last Sunday at the Brabourne Stadium.

Suresh Raina former India cricketer and IPL legend said during an episode of 'Cricket Live' on Star Sports: "The way Hardik Pandya has made his comeback, is commendable. In a player's return from injury, his family, especially, his wife has to play the most important role and we could see the happiness on his wife's face when he was bowling. His elder brother Krunal has also played a major role in Hardik's recovery and gave him all the confidence he needed. Hardik is looking fit and he's also generating decent pace with the ball, these are good signs for Gujarat Titans."

Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan said, "The best thing about Hardik Pandya is that he's once again started bowling. You can see that he's not trying to bend a lot while releasing the ball, which means he's not putting a lot of strain on his back. There might be a slight dip in his pace due to this but bowling two-three good overs at the start of the tournament will give him the confidence to do well. If Hardik Pandya the batter and Hardik Pandya the bowler does well, then Hardik Pandya the captain will eventually do well. He's looking to leave the disappointments of the previous season behind and make a fresh start."

In the next round of fixtures, Gujarat Titans will clash with Delhi Capitals on Saturday.

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