'Impressed With His Approach But...': Former Pacer Warns BCCI on Making Hardik Pandya India's T20I Captain

Seasoned all-rounder Hardik Pandya is set to lead again in the shortest format of the game. He will be in charge of a youngster-laden side that will take on Sri Lanka in a 3-match T20I series at home, starting Tuesday in Mumbai.

Ever since India crashed out of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 after losing to England by 10 wickets, there has been a demand from fans and experts that Pandya should be the next leader of the team in the shortest format. And it is a possibility that he might get the onus in future. But as of now, the board is satisfied with Rohit and there will be no shift in leadership anytime sooner.

But as far as Pandya’s leadership is concerned, he has set some massive examples in a matter of a few months. The year 2022 saw his dynamic comeback in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as Gujarat Titans skipper and leading his team to its maiden title, that too, in its debut season. He went on to lead the team on the tours of Ireland and New Zealand and produced fantastic results. And now, when Sri Lanka comes to India, he will again lead the pack.

With Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul absent from the T20 squad, the upcoming series against Sri Lanka will also be a test for Pandya — the all-rounder and his role as a finisher.

But former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has warned the national selectors to keep one thing in mind when giving the captaincy to Pandya — keep a close watch on the fitness of the Gujarat Titans’ captain.

“The captaincy Hardik has done, whether it was for the Gujarat Titans in the IPL or at the start for India, I felt the communication was extremely good. He was seen as very agile,” Pathan said during an interaction on Star Sports.

“When there was talk about his captaincy, I was extremely impressed with his approach but along with that India will have to keep in mind that if you are making him the long-term captain, they will have to concentrate a lot on his fitness, whether you talk about him or the team management. It will be very crucial going ahead,” he added.

With his back problem might return to trouble him again, it seems the Indian team management and selectors will have to be very careful when putting too much pressure on Hardik Pandya.

Get the latest Cricket News, Schedule and Cricket Live Scores here