‘They shouldn’t tell him if..’: Kapil Dev warns selectors ahead of appointing Hardik Pandya as India’s captain

Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya is seen as India’s next white-ball captain. The 29-year-old cricketer already leads the T20I side, and according to various reports, he is the frontrunner to replace Rohit Sharma as India’s captain in ODIs when the Mumbaikar decides to hang up his boots. With his impressive performances in the past few years, Hardik Pandya has established himself as one of the most promising players in the Indian cricket team and is now being considered as a potential leader for the future.

Hardik’s reputation as a captain skyrocketed after he steered the Gujarat Titans to the IPL title in their inaugural season in 2022. This was Hardik’s first opportunity to lead a team in the lucrative league, and he exceeded all expectations. His impressive leadership skills in the IPL earned him the captaincy of India’s T20I team in June 2022, when they embarked on a two-match series in Ireland. Subsequently, Hardik was reappointed captain for the away series against New Zealand last year, following the conclusion of the T20 World Cup.

In 2023, Hardik Pandya has already captained India in a home series against Sri Lanka, and next week he will take the helm once again against New Zealand in the T20Is.

Kapil Dev, one of India’s most renowned captains, has weighed in on the captaincy debate in Indian cricket. He believes that if the selectors are considering Hardik Pandya as the future India captain, they should provide him with unwavering support, even if results don’t go his way. Kapil Dev is confident that with the right backing, Hardik can become a successful leader and take Indian cricket to new heights.

“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 that 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.

India’s current captain, Rohit Sharma, has an outstanding record in bilateral T20I matches. He has never lost a series as India captain, but the team’s failure to win the Asia Cup T20 and T20 World Cup has raised questions about his credentials, and Hardik Pandya certainly doesn’t want to follow in his footsteps.

So far, Hardik has led India to victory in six of the nine matches he has captained, with only one defeat. With his impressive record, it is likely that he will be at the helm of the Indian team in the T20 World Cup next year, which will be jointly hosted by the West Indies and the USA.

READ| ‘Acha future hai tera’: Rohit Sharma humorously trolls Yuzvendra Chahal as he gives tour of Raipur dressing room