After India finally secured a position in the World Test Championships Final after the third consecutive Border-Gavaskar Trophy win, the focus has now shifted to the 50-over-format. Last time India won ODI Series against Australia in 2019 (in India) by 2019 by 2-1. Rohit Sharma is unavailable for 1st ODI due to personal commitments and in his place Hardik Pandya will lead the side.
With the approaching ODI World Cup 2023 in sight this year, the opinions and speculations about who should follow Rohit to lead the team have started. Having successfully led the Indian T20I team and won the IPL with Gujarat Titans last year, all-rounder Hardik Pandya is considered to be the first in line.
Hardik Pandya as a captain is a sense of comfort- Sunil Gavaskar
The former Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar was seen interacting with Star Sports & believes that Hardik Pandya with his recent experience and kind personality will be the perfect choice post the ODI World Cup this year.
“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 and puts his arm around the players. He 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.” said Sunil Gavaskar.
“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 added.
Why a perfect successor?
Apart from leading the Gujrat Titans to the title in their debut season, ever since the all rounder took the helm as captain of the Indian cricket team against the Ireland last year, his captaincy records have been impressive. The 29-year-old had led India in 11 T20I games and won seven matches with a winning percentage of 64. The record gets even better at 80% in away games.
The positive effect of his captaincy stint is also visible on his individual performances, as his average as a batter has seen a hike along with more wickets in the bag.
The Men in Blue will begin preparing for the spectacle in October when they play Australia in a 3-match ODI series beginning on March 17, with the first game scheduled to be played in Mumbai.
Also Read: IND vs AUS: “We Have To Learn To Play On Pitches…”- Rahul Dravid On BGT 2023 Surfaces