Former West Indies fast bowler and current commentator Ian Bishop says all-rounder Hardik Pandya is fit to be the next captain of India’s T20 team.
In the 2022 IPL, Hardik led the Gujarat Titans to their maiden title win in their very first season. Titans led by Pandya won the match against Rajasthan Royal by seven wickets.
Speaking to Star Sports, Bishop said teams need a risk-taker in T20 cricket and making Hardik India’s captain in the shortest format is not a bad idea.
“Hardik, I was so impressed with what he did in the IPL. In T20 cricket, successful teams need a risk-taker. Gambler is the wrong word but in keeping with the action format and action captain. So I would say Hardik.”
“I don’t if I have seen enough of Rishabh’s improvement. But he has got personality but if you can make him into one of those, I don’t think it would be a bad idea.”
India suffered a disappointing loss to England in the semi-final of the Twenty20 World Cup 2022, ending their campaign on a sour note. After India’s exit from the tournament, Rohit Sharma’s captaincy and place in the Indian T20I team have been in question.
Among those who want to change Rohit’s captaincy is former West Indies player Ian Bishop. Also The former West Indies fast bowler wants Hardik to take over the captaincy of the Indian team going into the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Hardik’s leadership record looks pretty good. As the captain of Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022, he has been one of the most outstanding. He performed well with the bat as well as the ball and led his team well to lift the title in the end.
After his excellent performance in the IPL, Hardik was appointed as the standing captain of the Indian T20I team for the two-match series against Ireland. India won both the matches and won the series 2-0.
Hardik has been named as the captain of the Indian team for the upcoming Twenty20 series against New Zealand. The three-match series is scheduled to begin on November 18.