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'Indian selectors should look at him seriously for leading in white ball cricket': Wasim Jaffer on Hardik Pandya
Wasim Jaffer has said that the player tends to get the best out of himself and his teammates when he is leading a team.
The 2022 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) saw the emergence of a number of Indian captains, some of whom were leading teams for the first time in their career. Among these, it is Rishabh Pant who has been elevated to captaincy in the international level, making his debut as India's skipper during the ongoing five-match T20I series against South Africa.
Hardik Pandya is Pant's vice-captain in the series and will lead India in their upcoming two-match T20I series in Ireland. The all-rounder's stature has seen a spike since the start of the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL), in which was surprisingly announced as captain of the Gujarat Titans. But he more than justified the trust shown in him by the franchise's hierarchy, leading them to the IPL title itself in their debut season.
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Pandya was not considered as vice-captain of the Indian team until KL Rahul was injured, leading to Rishabh Pant becoming the skipper and Pandya becoming his deputy. With Pant set to miss the Ireland tour, Pandya has been made skipper but former India opener Wasim Jaffer said that the all-rounder should be made India's first choice vice-captain.
“He deserves it. Going forward, Indian selectors should look at him seriously for leading in white ball cricket. Especially if Rohit Sharma is not available, Hardik Pandya should be the first choice in my opinion. The way he led in the IPL, the way his performances came through, he is somebody who relishes that job. Going forward he is probably my number one choice after Rohit Sharma,” said Jaffer on ESPNCricinfo.
Captain Rohit Sharma was rested for the ongoing five-match T20I series against South Africa, leading to Rahul initially being announced as skipper. While Rahul has not officially been named as India's vice-captain, he has been considered as the second choice behind the regular captain in all formats.
“If Rohit is playing, I would like Hardik to be the vice-captain in white ball cricket. He is somebody who enjoys their job and gets the best out of himself and others. Everybody feels at home and he gets the best out of the other players. So he is my next in line after Rohit Sharma,” said Jaffer.
