The all-rounder being named captain for the T20s against Sri Lanka is reward for his success with new IPL champions Gujarat Titans and with India in the first five T20s he has led.
The Chetan Sharma-led selection committee’s last task before the appointment of a new panel was to name the India squad for the T20I and ODI series against visiting Sri Lanka starting on January 3. The Tuesday night announcement—BCCI invited applications for all five selectors’ posts more than a month ago—though only threw up more questions with no official explanation adding to the uncertainty that shrouds Indian cricket. What is certain though is Hardik Pandya’s continuing ascendancy as a leader.
Hardik Pandya takes part in a training session (AFP)
With Rohit Sharma absent for the T20Is as he recovers from a thumb injury, Pandya has been named captain for the three-match series to be played in Mumbai, Pune and Rajkot. When the ODI series begins in Guwahati on January 10, followed by matches in Kolkata (Jan 12) and Thiruvananthapuram (Jan 15), he will be Sharma’s deputy. KL Rahul not being given vice-captaincy suggests that he has fallen out of favour as far as leadership goes as he struggles for batting form.
Though the new selection panel may have its own ideas, Pandya’s rising stock in the corridors of power in Indian cricket shouldn’t come as a surprise. The 29-year-old has been seen as a captaincy candidate since he led Gujarat Titans to the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) title in May in the franchise’s inaugural season. Soon after, Pandya was rewarded by being named captain of a second-string India side that toured Ireland for a short series in June.
Since then, the all-rounder has been entrusted with the role whenever Sharma or Rahul have not been available in the shortest format. As India captain, which includes a game against West Indies in the US and two games in New Zealand, he is yet to taste defeat. His record is four wins and a tie in five matches.
While this is a small sample size, the promise Pandya showed during his maiden captaincy stint at Gujarat Titans has triggered a quick turnaround in fortunes. Let’s not forget that Pandya was making a comeback into the national team in June after six months, having been dropped following the 2021 T20 World Cup due to patchy form and fitness issues that prevented him from bowling. Even if Sharma is available for the three home T20Is against New Zealand at January end, there’s a strong case for Pandya to continue as captain at least in T20s.
The next T20 World Cup is in the Caribbean and United States in June 2024. Sharma will be 37 by then. With India’s T20 game in need of a major revamp after losing to England by 10 wickets in the semi-final of the 2022 edition, Pandya looks a better fit to help the team find verve after disappointing in back-to-back World Cups. The T20 squad combination too reflects forward thinking.
His all-round value and match-winning ability aside, Pandya’s willingness to take up extra responsibility and lead from the front stood out in his first season with Titans. He decided to bat at No 3 or 4 for instance though he’s not a natural top-order batter, knowing that the team was light on dependable options in that crucial position. He left the big-hitting at the end in the hands of South African David Miller and Rahul Tewatia, and tweaked his game to bat a majority of the 20 overs. It meant he had his best run tally in an IPL season, returning 487 runs in 15 matches with four fifties, averaging 44.27.
“Now, in hindsight, we are talking after winning, but it’s not about winning or losing. The kind of aura he has shown, if you ask me as a coach, you can look at a player and tell what he is thinking,” Nehra told the official broadcaster on the eve of Friday's player auction for IPL 2023 in Kochi.
“Hardik is a very positive guy. I never felt he is a new captain and doesn’t know what to do. He is a stable guy; he is a confident guy.”
That confidence manifests itself in multiple ways, be it his tattoos, bling jewellery or straight-talking. Asked about full-time captaincy prospects after leading India to victory over West Indies in the Lauderhill T20I in August, he said: “Yeah, why not? If given a chance, I’ll be more than happy to do it.”
The chance seems to have arrived. It will be up to Pandya to grab it.
Vivek Krishnan is a sports journalist who enjoys covering cricket and football among other disciplines. He wanted to be a cricketer himself but has gladly settled for watching and writing on different sports.Read More
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