Is Hardik Pandya a long-term captaincy option for India?

From Sourav Ganguly to MS Dhoni to Virat Kohli, the Indian cricket team has been fortunate to have found some great leaders from time to time. Rohit Sharma has been the latest addition to that list after Kohli, to everyone’s surprise, stepped down from the role in 2021. Rohit, who has enjoyed a lion’s share of success in the Indian Premier League (IPL), was the obvious choice for the Indian management to hand over the captaincy duty to.

Rohit is known for being tactical with his approach and calculative in taking the game to the opposition. He is also known for keeping a good balance between youth, talent and experience. His record of winning the most number of IPLs as the captain speaks for himself. However, truth to be told, the 35-year-old might not be around in the team for years to come.

Rohit is not getting any younger; and also as good a batter he is, his game is not reaching new heights either. The Indian management and board might already be in search of a leader who can be a long-term option to take over Rohit as the India captain. Similar to Rohit in his early days, all-rounder Hardik Pandya showed us all what he is capable of as a captain in the IPL.

Has Hardik Pandya made a case for himself to be the next captain?

While many doubted his leadership skills when he was named the captain of Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL 2022, he answered all the critics by guiding his team to an IPL title in their debut season. Pandya looked to have raised his own game to another level after receiving skipper duties. With 487 runs at an average of 44.27 under his belt, and also eight wickets with an economy rate of 7.28, he was truly a captain leading from the front.

Pandya also received a lot of plaudits for his all-round performance in the IPL final as he bagged three crucial wickets for only 17 runs in the first innings, and steadied the GT chase by scoring 34 runs. Following the IPL, he became one of the core members of the India team that played South Africa for a home T20I series in June as he was named vice-captain in the absence of senior players.

In the next series against Ireland came Pandya’s first test as the India captain. And he passed with flying colours as he led a young and inexperienced bunch of players to a 2-0 series win. With a string of promising performances as a captain this year, he has definitely made a case for himself to be in contention for being the next India captain after Rohit.