Under Rohit Sharma’s direction, Team India is currently playing a three-match ODI series against New Zealand. However, with Rohit’s absence, the erratic all-rounder Hardik Pandya will once more assume the leadership role in the next T20I series. The management should support Hardik even if the team loses a few games or a series while he is captain, according to former Indian skipper Kapil Dev.
After a great run with the squad in the game’s shortest format, Hardik Pandya has emerged as the front-runner to succeed Rohit Sharma as the next Indian captain. For the time being, as India gets ready for the WTC and the 50-over World Cup later this year, he is being developed as the team’s next T20I skipper.
The former World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev has urged the management to continue with the Indian all-rounder, though, given Team India’s experimentation with the command last year. He believes Hardik should be given a long leash because as the Indian captain, he would make mistakes and may even continue to lose a few games and series.
“I think one shouldn’t look at the world. You look at your team and your way of thinking. If Hardik Pandya is there, they should not say if you lose one series, we will remove you. If you make someone a captain, you have to give him a fairly long rope to make sure he will start performing. He will make mistakes but they key is that you don’t see the error but focus on whether he is ready for taking the team and look for the future. You don’t go series-by-series,” Kapil told Gulf News.
Due to veteran players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul moving their focus to the longer formats of the game, Hardik Pandya is most likely to captain the squad during the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA in 2019. The flashy all-rounder has evolved into a trustworthy figure since taking on the leadership position for his IPL team. He was essential to Gujarat Titan’s title run in their inaugural IPL season.