Team India’s stand-in captain Hardik Pandya said that he has learned a lot from his former captain MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli but he wants to be himself while leading India in the T20 series against Ireland. Pandya had a memorable time in his debut season as captain in IPL 2022 as he led Gujarat Titans to a title win. He impressed many with his captaincy approach as he was seen leading the team by pushing himself up the batting order.
Pandya, who was Rishabh Pant’s deputy in the recently concluded T20I series against South Africa, was promoted to the leadership role as the wicket-keeper batsman joined the Test squad for the England match.
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The flamboyant all-rounder said that his captaincy style is not very comfortable as he takes decisions according to the circumstances as he feels that sometimes guts may not work in your favor.
Hardik said, “Obviously I have taken a lot of things from them (Dhoni and Kohli) but at the same time I want to be myself, obviously my understanding of the game is different but I have taken a lot of good vibes from them ” Said during a virtual press conference on the eve of the first T20I.
“I’m not comfortable, but I look at the situation more than I go on my stomach. At what time, what decision the team requires, I focus on that instead of going on my stomach. Gut always goes 50-50 , “They said.
The 28-year-old said that leading the Indian team is a big deal for him and he doesn’t want to prove anything to anyone during his first stint as India’s captain.
He said, ‘I have got an opportunity to lead India. That in itself is a big deal. I don’t play games to show off to anyone, if I’m good enough. I was always the same,” he added
Pandya said that ownership has always helped him perform better and he is ready to take on the bigger responsibility of leading the Indian team.
“Earlier also, I loved taking responsibility and now it is the same but now it is a bit more responsibility. I always believed that when I took the responsibility, I did better.”
“If I can take ownership of my things and make my own decisions, then they are strong. Cricket is such a game, it is very important to stay strong during the circumstances.”
The 28-year-old further said that he will assign responsibilities to every player who can help him deal with tough situations.
“Always I was given responsibility and I took it and so I became better. While captaining, I will see how I can give equal responsibility to every player and give them the ability to fight the conditions.
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