Last Updated on 3 years by Charbel Coorey
Cricket News: Could Hardik Pandya become India captain one day? | Hardik Pandya has given India food for thought regarding captaincy
Hardik Pandya excelled in his first season as captain of the Gujarat Titans, leading the franchise to the IPL 2022 crown in their first season in the competition.
Pandya was one of the top three selections made by the Titans following their launch as one of the two new teams for the 2022 tournament. Vikram Solanki and Ashish Nehra opted to make Pandya captain, having served under Rohit Sharma at the Mumbai Indians and Virat Kohli at international level. Pandya won the IPL four times with the Indians, having been deployed in the lower order, and was more than potent with the ball when called upon.
However, there was a notion that he could be even better when handed greater responsibility.
Hardik Pandya made a smooth transition as captain in IPL 2022
After his move to the Titans, the 28-year-old shifted to number three and top-scored for the franchise with 487 runs. Also, he seemingly made all the right calls when required to ensure that his side lifted the crown. There will be greater pressure next season and the Titans are already backed at 5/1 in the online betting with Paddy Power to win the tournament again in 2023, but Hardik’s approach can hold them in good stead.
In fact, Gujarat Titans spinner R Sai Kishore labelled Hardik as a younger version of the great MS Dhoni. Quite the compliment. “I would call Hardik the junior version of Dhoni. There are a lot of similarities between the two. Much like Dhoni, Hardik has the knack of getting the best out of his players. Both put the team before themselves and that’s what you expect from your leader,” said Kishore in a recent interview with Times of India.
Pandya’s leadership will come to the fore once more, and it will be fascinating to see how he and his team-mates cope with the level of expectations that comes with winning the IPL. Even if the Titans are unsuccessful in their title defence, Pandya has still accomplished more as a leader than the great Virat Kohli managed in 15 seasons with Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Could India look at Hardik Pandya as a future captain?
It may just give India food for thought regarding their captaincy for the future. Sharma inherited the captaincy of all formats from Kohli following his resignation in 2021. However, at the age of 35, Sharma is certainly not a long-term option for the national side, especially in the white-ball formats.
Also, the opener endured his worst IPL campaign in 2022 with Mumbai Indians as his side finished bottom of the standings, while he managed only 268 at an average of 19.14. On the other hand, Pandya was on the money with all of his calls.
Lokesh Rahul has been named vice-captain and did lead India in their tour of South Africa in 2022 in the absence of Sharma. However, India were whitewashed by the Proteas, slumping to a 3-0 defeat in the ODIs. Rahul was criticised not only for his decision-making under pressure, but also his batting as he appeared to play within himself at times to the cost of his team.
It was evident in Paarl in the second ODI of the series when he scored 55 from 79 balls at a strike rate of 69.62, which was blown away by the aggressive batting of the hosts as they chased down their total with ease to win the series. Then, we saw similar in IPL 2022, as Lucknow Super Giants bowed out in the Eliminator.
Captaincy is not an easy transition for players to make, but the fact is that Pandya not only coped with the pressure, but he also thrived under it. He took his batting to new heights, notching his highest single-season IPL run total in 2022, while he was useful with the ball when required. Pandya could well be worth considering for the Indian hierarchy, especially if they are not able to perform to the standard required to win the World T20 in Australia towards the end of the year.
