Hardik Pandya has been tipped as a future India captain,
Hardik Pandya has been tipped as a future India captain following Gujarat’s IPL fairytale.
After leading an unfancied debut team to victory in the world’s most valuable cricket tournament, all-rounder Hardik Pandya is being tipped as a future Indian captain.
Gujarat Titans beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) final on Sunday, with Pandya taking three wickets and scoring 34 runs in front of nearly 105,000 fans at the world’s largest cricket stadium.
It was the culmination of an extraordinary season that began with pundits criticizing the team’s player auction purchases, questioning Pandya’s appointment as captain, and predicting a disastrous outcome for the franchise’s first season.
But the 28-year-old, a flamboyant cricketer who enjoys tattoos and expensive watches and was once suspended for making sexist comments on a television show, has been a revelation in his first leadership role.
Commentators have praised his decision-making and field-setting precision in the Twenty20 format.
Following the Titans’ victory at their home ground in Ahmedabad, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar said Pandya would be a worthy successor to him.
“When you have leadership qualities, it automatically opens the door for national honours and the ability to captain the Indian national team in the near future,” the batting legend explained.
“The way he has led the team, brought them together, and gotten them to gel together means he has leadership qualities,” he told Star Sports. “Not just my opinion, but everyone’s opinion.” This was an aspect of his game about which no one knew much.”
The national team is currently led in all formats by Rohit Sharma, who was appointed earlier this year following Virat Kohli’s ODI dismissal, but at 35, he is unlikely to be a long-term captain and is being rested for a home series against South Africa in June.
Mumbai Indians, Rohit’s five-time IPL champions, had a disastrous season, finishing last in the table.
