Former India cricketer WV Raman has showered praise on all-rounder Hardik Pandya who will be making his India captaincy debut against Ireland in a two-match T20I series. The first of the two matches will take on June 26 in Dublin.
The regular Indian skipper Rohit Sharma along with other senior players is busy with the preparations for the fifth test in England. In his absence, Hardik Pandya was given leadership duties. The all-rounder was Rishabh Pant’s deputy in the recently concluded T20I series against South Africa.
Hardik Pandya led the Gujarat Titans to the Indian Premier League 2022 title win earlier this year. He impressed one and all with his leadership skills. Speaking about Hardik Pandya’s appointment as the Indian skipper, WV Raman expressed that the all-rounder has raised the expectations, post a successful IPL captaincy stint. He said during a chat with News24 Sport,
“There will be excitement in this series because Hardik Pandya is becoming the new captain of the Indian team. The way he captained an IPL team raises everyone’s expectations. His habit of taking responsibility was the best thing I found in the IPL. The expectation is that he will continue in the same way, will motivate everyone nicely.”
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Hardik Pandya’s bowling will give the team a good balance: WV Raman
Hardik Pandya’s injury hampered his bowling for a few months. He only played as a pure batter during those times. However, in the recent Indian Premier League, Hardik Pandya bowled well, taking eight wickets in the tournament. His 3/17 in the finals against Rajasthan Royals, led the Gujarat Titans to a title win.
WV Raman expressed that Hardik Pandya’s bowling provides the Indian team with a good balance. He said,
“The second thing is that Hardik Pandya is a good all-rounder, he has started bowling again, so this will give the team good balance when we go to the World Cup. Once his confidence increases in the bowling, Hardik Pandya becomes an extremely important member of the team.”
When asked about whether Hardik Pandya should lead the Indian team ahead of Rohit Sharma and others, WV Raman said, “We will have to see what is their (selection committee) convictions, ideas, and views after seeing his captaincy so that they can make a decision based on that.”
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