Former India cricketer WV Raman thinks all-arounder Hardik Pandya would replace Virat Kohli as captain. He claimed there will be the anticipation for the two-match T20I series between India and Ireland, for which Hardik has been selected as India’s captain. Pandya also served as the team’s captain for Gujarat Titans, the IPL’s champions, this season.
Raman claimed that Pandya’s IPL leadership style heightened everyone’s expectations. The way the Indian all-rounder accepted responsibility, he said, was his best quality during the tournament. Raman believes that the 28-year-old will inspire the others and carry on in the same manner.
“There will be excitement in this series because Hardik Pandya is becoming the new captain of the Indian team,” said Raman, during a chat with News24 Sports. “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.”
“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,” said the former India player.
With a Man of the Match effort in the championship game against Rajasthan Royals, Hardik led Gujarat Titans to their first IPL championship. He was the most effective bowler, finishing with three wickets for 17 runs in four overs. He also contributed significantly with the bat, hitting 34 runs off of 30 balls while attempting to reach the target of 131.
When asked if Hardik should take over as team captain in place of Rohit Sharma, Raman replied that we would have to wait and see how the 28-year-old manages the Indian squad during the Ireland series.
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