Whenever Rohit Sharma was absent, Hardik Pandya impressed together with his captaincy abilities in limited-overs cricket. His medium-pace bowling and explosive batting carry stability to the staff and make him an influence participant within the center order. Former captain Sunil Gavaskar believes that Pandya will show to be a game-changer for India in the course of the upcoming three-match ODI collection towards Australia. With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy retained 2-1, the main focus now shifts to the ODIs, which start on Friday on the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Due to household commitments, Rohit will miss the primary ODI, and Pandya will lead the Indian staff. Gavaskar sees this as a chance for Pandya to stake his declare for a management function in one-dayers, along with the World Cup. The 29-year-old all-rounder already holds the incumbent chief place for India within the shortest format, having captained Gujarat Titans to the title win of their maiden look within the Indian Premier League 2022 season.
The profitable hug between Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya. pic.twitter.com/Sg1rppLAQc
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 28, 2022
Gavaskar emphasised the significance of Pandya’s place in India’s middle-order.
Gavaskar instructed Star Sports, “I have been very impressed with his captaincy at the T20 level for the Gujarat Titans and for India when he is captaining the T20 side. I do believe that if he wins the first game in Mumbai, then you can almost stamp him as the India captain once the World Cup is over in 2023.”
“He can be an impact player as well as a game changer in the middle-order. Even for the Gujarat team, he was promoting himself up the order knowing that this is the time when the team needed some momentum and push, and he would do that,” Gavaskar mentioned.
According to Gavaskar, Pandya’s management strategy is favored by the gamers.
“So, someone who is prepared to take on responsibility, lead from the front, and who will not ask the players to do something that he wants to do himself, is highly crucial,” he mentioned.
“What you see with Hardik Pandya as a captain is a sense of comfort with the rest of the team. Maybe, it’s the way he handles the players, puts his arm around the players… He just seems to give the players a sense of comfort. That’s so important… to give a player a sense of comfort so that he can go and play his natural game. I think he encourages them, which is a wonderful sign.”
Former Indian participant and commentator, Ajit Agarkar, has expressed his confidence that Rohit Sharma will carry out effectively with the bat when he joins the Indian squad.
“His record speaks for itself. You do not need to say anything about Rohit’s performance in white ball cricket. He has taken a slightly different approach at times, trying to be the aggressor at the top of the order,” Agarkar mentioned. “Maybe, he changed it a little bit in the last series, giving himself a little more time and got the hundred. I just hope he plays every game that India plays from now on, every one-day, because you want your captain out there to just have a pattern of play,” he added.
