3 positive signs in Hardik Pandya's captaincy after 1st T20I vs Sri Lanka
Hardik Pandya led Team India for the first time on home soil in the first T20I against Sri Lanka at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday, January 3. The Men in Blue kick-started the year with a nervy two-win over their neighbors, with the ace all-rounder's captaincy playing a key role in the resulting early series lead.
After being asked to bat first, Team India put up 162-5 on the board after a collapse in the first half of their innings. The top order, including debutant Shubman Gill, failed to flatter against a potent Sri Lankan bowling outfit.
The lower-middle order pair of Deepak Hooda and Axar Patel bailed the team out, capitalizing on some poor death bowling, while Hardik chipped in with a valuable cameo as well.
The hosts had to hold their nerve with the ball, battling to defend a par score as well as heavy dew. In a topsy-turvy contest that went till the final ball, it was the Men in Blue that tasted victory, much to the chagrin of their Sri Lankan counterparts, who let the match slip away from their grasp.
Hardik was arguably omnipresent at the Wankhede Stadium across all three departments. While he has led the side on select occasions before, the most recent outing comes across as one of his best outings as captain so far.
Here are three positive signs of Hardik's captaincy in Team India's last-gasp win over Sri Lanka in the first T20I.
#1 Constantly infusing confidence
There is never a quiet moment when the spotlight is on Hardik. The all-rounder, who is well renowned for instilling confidence in his teammates, was in constant dialog and in the thick of things when it mattered.
During the first innings, Ishan Kishan was visibly frustrated at not being able to connect with his shots. The left-handed batter got off to a flyer in the powerplay but was shackled when the spinners came into the picture.
The skipper encouraged him to go for his shots without worry, and while Kishan lost his wicket soon after, the pep talk induced a flurry of boundaries, something which was required to ease the pressure piled on by the spinners.
Another instance came ahead of the final over. The right-arm all-rounder, despite having an over left in his quota, entrusted left-arm spinner Axar Patel to defend 13 runs off the final over. The skipper had a long pep talk prior to the start of the final over and also when the equation got trickier midway through the deliveries as well.
Such little things can prove to be the tipping factor in such encounters and Hardik, to his credit, was on top of things for the majority of the encounter.
#2 Leading from the front by taking the new ball
Without Arshdeep Singh among their ranks for the series opener, Team India were arguably short of a definite new-ball bowler. The importance of the brief window for swing, seam, and bounce at the Wankhede Stadium was not lost on the skipper.
With debutant Shivam Mavi bowling from the other end, the all-rounder took it upon himself to begin the proceedings with the new ball.
He set the tempo with a highly positive first over, which only yielded three runs. Hardik bowled three overs on the trot, piling up the pressure with 13 dot balls as his latest Gujarat Titans (GT) recruit Mavi wreaked havoc from the other end.
That's that from the 1st T20I.
#TeamIndia win by 2 runs and take a 1-0 lead in the series.
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While he had the option of introducing Umran Malik earlier in the powerplay or even Axar, who has grown accustomed to bowling with the new ball, he chose to keep the same new-ball pair going, which in hindsight, was the right call.
#3 Not shying away from taking risks
The popular saying - If there's no risk, there's no reward, stands true for Hardik. The skipper made it clear at the toss that he aims to put the team under as many pressure situations as he can to help them be brazen on the big stages. The induction of pressure through the sheer unpredictability embodied by Hardik makes his reign a wild ride.
Had Team India won the toss, Hardik would have elected to bat first, something which he explicitly stated during the toss. Statisticians will have to dwell deep in history to determine when a skipper opted not to field first at the Wankhede under the lights.
Surprised to see Axar bowling the final over? Here's Captain @hardikpandya7 revealing the reason behind the move.
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He also entrusted debutant Mavi to bowl the tough overs, another risk that paid dividends. The ploy to give Axar the last over, which was another test that the skipper wanted the team to go through, was another risk that paid off.
While it is well understood that not all risks will pay off on a given day, the fact that Hardik is willing to explore those options without much deliberation makes him the unique leadership prospect that he is.
Is the all-rounder ready to lead the Indian T20I side on a full-time basis? Let us know what you think.
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