"He has injury issues as well"- Irfan Pathan on Hardik Pandya's longevity as India's future captain
Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan feels the Men in Blue shouldn't put all their eggs in one basket by grooming just Hardik Pandya as their future captain. He explained that the all-rounder has been in and out of the side with injuries and that might play a role in his longevity as captain going forward.
Not long ago, Hardik wasn't able to bowl and had to take time away from cricket to recover from his back injury. His willpower and hard work helped him make a stunning comeback and he will now lead the Indian team in the T20I series against New Zealand starting next week.
Speaking to Star Sports, here's what Irfan Pathan had to say about Hardik Pandya's fitness issues:
“So, I’m not saying that if you change the captain you change the result, if you go like that you’re not going to change the result. And with Hardik Pandya, you need to understand, we all need to understand, that he’s a fast bowling all-rounder. He has injury issues as well. What if he is your captain who is getting injured right before the World Cup? And if you don’t have any other leader ready, you’ll be in a mess."
Came back from controversy and a major career threatening injury, won IPL as captain of a new franchise, and gave the best performance of his life in World Cup semifinal. Sir Hardik Pandya.
Irfan Pathan in India grooming multiple leaders
Irfan Pathan opined that if Pandya gets injured just before the World Cup, India need to have some options up their sleeve to replace him. Grooming more leaders could also help the team management rotate Hardik while keeping his workload management in mind.
On this, Pathan stated:
"I personally think is that Hardik Pandya is a leader, who has done very well in the Gujarat Titians, won IPL, won the championship trophy. You need to find not one, but two leaders going forward to build their mark. You know just like we talk about openers - we need to have a group of openers, we also need to have a group of leaders.”
Hardik's second assignment as India's T20I captain will begin on November 18.