IND vs NZ: "I liked Hardik Pandya's Captaincy Style A Lot, Like Getting Deepak Hooda To Bowl"- Aakash Chopra Lauds Indian Skipper's Captaincy

Hardik Pandya has received praise from Aakash Chopra for using his resources wisely in the T20I series against New Zealand. 

The final Twenty20 International, which was postponed due to rain on Tuesday, November 22, ended in a tie using the DLS method, giving India a 1-0 victory over the Kiwis in the three-match series. The first game of the series was abandoned due to rain, but India won the second game by 65 runs. 

Rohit Does Not Get Sixth Bowler To Bowl: Aakash Chopra

Chopra selected Hardik’s captaincy as one of the positives for India during his series review in a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, elaborating: 

“I liked Hardik Pandya’s captaincy style a lot, like getting Deepak Hooda to bowl. We saw Rohit (Sharma) was not doing that, Rohit was not getting Venkatesh Iyer to bowl as well. Rohit doesn’t get the sixth bowler to bowl. He does that in the IPL but not for India, there is something.” 

Chopra emphasised that Hardik was eager to use Deepak Hooda with the ball, in contrast to his former Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma. He observed: 

“Hardik Pandya is saying he doesn’t want to bowl, Deepak Hooda will bowl, or he can send him up the order, he can bowl him at the death and in the powerplay also, or get through some overs by bowling him in the middle.” 

In the second Twenty20 International against the Black Caps, Hooda bowled 2.5 overs and produced outstanding figures of 4/10. In his one over of bowling on Tuesday, the off-spinner only allowed three runs to be scored. 

IPL Has Made Hardik Pandya A Mature Captain: Aakash Chopra

Chopra believes Hardik’s IPL 2022 experience as the captain of the Gujarat Titans has aided him in making the best use of his bowling staff. He explained: 

“The IPL has made him a mature captain. It’s a fantastic take because he is using the bowlers at the right places. In the last match, it seemed Yuzi (Chahal) was not bowling well, so he gave him three overs only. He ends Bhuvi’s overs slightly early.” 

The aggressive all-rounder is demonstrating his abilities as a shrewd captain, the former cricketer-turned-commentator continued. He said: 

“He is looking very good in my opinion. He probably brings that belief and calmness into the unit as well. It is interesting because you generally see Hardik as an aggressive player but he is a very smart player. That aggressive player is asking his players to be the best they can be, that’s what it seems.”  

Even though Hardik’s tenure as India’s captain may still be in its infancy, Chopra concluded that things appear to be going on the right path. 

Also Read: IND vs NZ: “He Is Not Your Typical T20 Bowler” Aakash Chopra Hails Mohammad Siraj’s Performance In T20I Series vs New Zealand