IND vs SL: "I Feel Hardik Pandya Should Be Made The Captain In Both White-Ball Formats - Maninder Singh

Published - 23 Dec 2022, 01:30 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:15 AM

Hardik Pandya. Pic Credits: Twitter

Indian cricket is on the verge of a transition, and there could be a change in captaincy. Hardik Pandya has been considered the future white-ball captain of India. Former Indian cricketer Maninder Singh believes Hardik Pandya should be named captain of India in both limited-overs formats.

Hardik Pandya was appointed as the captain of the Gujarat Titans, and the all-rounder did not play competitive cricket for 6 months before the IPL. He made a brilliant start to his first captaincy in the IPL. Hardik also batted higher up in the middle order, scoring 487 runs and taking 8 wickets in 15 games.

SHORTS

Your daily dose of cricket!

The Transformation Was Visible Right From The First Match – Maninder Singh

Maninder Singh believes Hardik Pandya should be named India’s captain in both white-ball formats. The former India spinner believes the all-rounder realized his potential when he was named captain of the Gujarat Titans (GT).

“I feel he (Hardik) should be made the captain in both white-ball formats because we have seen a different transformation in him since he won the IPL title for the Gujarat Titans. Actually, the transformation was visible right from the first match when he came to play in the IPL,” Maninder Singh said during a discussion on Sony Sports.

Cheteshwar Pujara And Ajinkya Rahane Don’t Look Confident While Batting, Not Going To Give You Runs: Maninder Singh

“Probably Hardik Pandya knows how much talent he has but he was wasting it. But when he was made the captain, he probably realized that he can do something as his franchise thought about making him the captain.”

Despite being the captain for the first time, Hardik Pandya led the Gujarat Titans (GT) to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 trophy in the franchise’s debut season. His performances with the IPL franchise earned him the chance to captain the national squad. Hardik has won four of Team India’s five T20Is, with the other game ending in a tie.

Hardik Pandya Can Be Very Important Cog For The Indian Team – Maninder Singh

Maninder believes Hardik will be an important part of the Indian squad in white-ball cricket if he can bowl a decent number of overs. The cricketer-turned-commentator urged the team management to ensure that the all-rounder’s back injury does not recur.

“Then the transformation he showed in T20 cricket, I feel in ODI cricket if he can bowl you 10 overs, even seven-eight overs if not 10, Hardik Pandya can be a very important cog for the Indian team in white-ball cricket the way he is batting.”

“You should regularly keep talking to him, that he should keep his fitness levels so high, that the back injury he suffered does not come back again and he can serve the Indian team because you need such players who are entertainers. When you give him the ball or when he goes out to bat, it is evident from his body language that he is going to do something.”

Also read: PAK vs NZ: “Yasir Shah, He’s Our Match-Winner, No Team In The World Has Such A Leg-Spinner” – Kamran Akmal

Tagged:

Hardik Pandya IND vs SL 2023 India National Cricket Team India tour of Bangladesh 2022 India vs Sri Lanka 2023 Maninder Singh Sri Lanka tour of India 2023