IPL 2022: Hardik Pandya Can Lead India In Future: Sanjay Manjrekar

Updated - 27 May 2022, 10:01 PM

Sanjay Manjrekar
Sanjay Manjrekar (Image Credits: Twitter)

Sanjay Manjrekar, a former India cricketer, discussed the recent IPL season and gave his prediction for the qualifier between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, as well as the impending T20 World Cup.

He also believes Hardik Pandya, who guided Gujarat Titans to the IPL final in their debut season, can lead India in the shorter format.

RCB Can Go All The Way: Sanjay Manjrekar

When asked why he thought RCB will win the qualifier 2, he said, “Things are falling in place for Bangalore, they have class bowlers, they performed well in the last match where Mohammed Siraj took a crucial wicket, “Now that they have reached this point, they won’t give up.”

On Pandya, he said, “Hardik Pandya surprised us at how comfortable he looked in a leadership role captaining Gujarat Titans, If you are leading a team in the IPL, you can lead Team India.”

Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya (Image Credits: Twitter)

Because of the immense pressure and huge stakes that a captain experiences when leading a team in the IPL, Manjrekar stated this.

He was initially skeptical about the addition of two more teams, but he later changed his mind, “This IPL will be remembered for only one reason – the quality. The lesser-known names maintained the quality of IPL and not the iconic big-name players.”

 “When KL Rahul plays as ‘one of the players’ his performance is much better than when he plays as the captain because he takes too much responsibility on himself, especially after he became captain,” he said about KL Rahul.

KL Rahul
KL Rahul (Image Credits: Twitter)

He further added: KL Rahul has the ability to play at will. If he thinks that today he will play at a strike rate of 150, he can. But the reason he often slows down is that he has decided to play it safe.”

Sanjay also said that Virat Kohli cannot be dropped from the Indian side because of his bad form in the IPL.

Also Read: IPL 2022: Match-winning Players Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma Need Break From Cricket Before T20 World Cup 2022 – Chaminda Vaas

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IPL 2022 Sanjay Manjrekar