3 difficult tests for Hardik Pandya as T20I captain
Hardik Pandya will lead the Indian T20I team in the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. As per reports, the BCCI has prepared a list of 20 players who will focus majorly on ODI cricket in 2023, keeping the World Cup 2023 in mind. Big names like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Jasprit Bumrah are unlikely to play much T20I cricket in 2023.
Even Hardik Pandya is a part of the BCCI's ODI World Cup plans, but unlike the aforementioned four names, Pandya does not play Test cricket, which is why he will probably captain the Indian team in the T20I format during the 2023 season.
The Indian team is scheduled to play T20Is against Sri Lanka and New Zealand in the home season. It should not be a surprise if a few more bilateral T20I series take place before the mega event in India.
Since Hardik Pandya is likely to captain the Indian T20I team in the majority of the matches this year, in this listicle, we will look at the three difficult tests for him in his new role.
#1 Hardik Pandya will have to lead a team full of youngsters
As mentioned earlier, the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah are unlikely to play any T20I matches in 2023. Besides, senior players like Dinesh Karthik, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami have been dropped from the T20I squad.
Due to these developments, Hardik Pandya will probably be the most experienced player in India's T20I squad in 2023. The all-rounder will have to keep calm and guide the team's youngsters well.
Pandya did a good job as the Gujarat Titans skipper in IPL 2022, but he had senior players like Matthew Wade, Wriddhiman Saha, David Miller, and Mohammed Shami in the team. So playing with a new set of players will be a challenge for Pandya.
#2 Giving chances to new players
One of the biggest issues that the Indian team faced in the last two years was that the new players did not receive enough opportunities to prove themselves. The likes of Rahul Tewatia, Rahul Tripathi and R Sai Kishore were dropped from the squad even before they could make their debuts.
With the next T20 World Cup set to take place in 2024, Hardik Pandya and the other members of the team management will have to ensure that the new players receive chances to showcase their talents.
#3 Determining Hardik Pandya's role
One more challenge that Hardik Pandya will face is determining his own role in the playing XI. He will have to work with vice-captain Suryakumar Yadav and decide the batting lineup, and where he would fit in the team.
Pandya is one of the few players in India who can score runs at any batting position. He can also bowl four overs of pace and take wickets for the team, but even in the bowling department, the skipper will have to decide if he will bowl with the new ball in the powerplay or bowl his first over after the powerplay.
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