IND vs NZ: "No Harm In Identifying A New T20I Captain And If His Name Is Hardik Pandya, So Be It"- Ravi Shastri

Indian Cricket Team is all set to lock horns against New Zealand on 18th November (Friday). The Men in Blue would be aiming to start afresh as a lot of senior players are not part of the squad. Hardik Pandya has been named as the skipper for the T20I Series.

New Zealand was on a roll in the T20 World Cup 2022 but they succumbed to pressure against Pakistan in the Semi-Final. The Black Caps have named a powerful squad but they have left Martin Guptill and Trent Boult which was quite surprising as the two have been quite pivotal to the setup.

Ravi Shastri on Hardik Pandya

Former Head Coach Ravi Shastri was having an interaction with Select Media and was asked about Hardik Pandya. “For T20 cricket, there is no harm in having a new captain. Because the volume of cricket is such, for one player to play all three formats of the game is never going to be easy. If Rohit is already leading in Tests and ODIs, there is no harm in identifying a new T20I captain and if his name is Hardik Pandya, so be it.” said Ravi Shastri.

Hardik Pandya Invaluable

We had seen how Hardik Pandya led Gujarat Titans (GT) to their maiden triumph in the 2022 edition. The all-rounder was the bowler’s captain and was seen batting responsibly due to which he was looking ominous.  Hardik Pandya’s game has improved immensely as he knows when to attack and when to play the waiting game.

Hardik Pandya would be tested as the boundaries in New Zealand are quite small and we can see high-scoring games. There are chances that he bats up the order just to provide the stability. In the absence of Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman has a stern task on his hands. India may have won the last T20I Series in New Zealand in 2020 by 5-0 but it was a riveting contest. It would be interesting to see how Men in Blue performs as New Zealand would be eyeing revenge.

Also Read; IPL 2023 Auction: “I Feel We Have A Long Way To Go In Understanding T20 Cricket”- Ravichandran Ashwin Believes The Format Needs Some Changes