IND vs IRE: All Negative Talk About Hardik Pandya Was When He Became Unfit - Rajkumar Sharma On Pandya's Captaincy Race With Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul

Rajkumar Sharma, Virat Kohli’s childhood coach, thinks the T20I series against Ireland will be crucial in Team India’s subsequent skipper race between Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul.

The Indian team will encounter Ireland in two Twenty20 Internationals, the first of which will be performed on Sunday, June 26. Due to the absence of Rohit Sharma, Rahul Dravid, and Pant, Hardik will be guiding the Men in Blue for the first time.

If the T20I series against Ireland determines how far behind Pant and Rahul Hardik are in the race to lead Team India, Sharma was questioned during a talk on India News. He answered:

“Without a doubt, Hardik Pandya started receiving bad press when he lost his fitness. Everyone praised him when he was performing well in Indian cricket and winning games. It was believed that India now had a second Kapil Dev and that he was being compared to Kapil Dev.”

‘Hardik Pandya could replicate his success as the Gujarat Titans’: Rajkumar Sharma

The ex-first-class cricketer noted that it would be a tremendous achievement for Hardik to repeat his triumph as the Gujarat Titans (GT) captain for the Indian side. Sharma added detail:

“However, it has been lovely to see him return. It was incredibly surprising that Gujarat appointed him skipper and the way he handled the role made the Gujarat squad the champions. He has benefited from that because he has been named the Indian team’s captain, and it will be very significant if he makes an impact on the team as skipper.”

In their inaugural season in the renowned competition, Hardik guided the Titans to the IPL trophy. The first game of the two-match series will be played on Sunday, June 26.

Also Read: People Tell Me They Have Left Watching Cricket Since I Haven’t Featured – Ahmed Shehzad