“It has come as a surprise” - Rajkumar Sharma on reports of Hardik Pandya’s likely appointment as Ahmedabad captain for IPL 2022
Virat Kohli’s childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma is surprised at reports stating that all-rounder Hardik Pandya is likely to be named captain of the Ahmedabad franchise for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season.
Pandya was not retained by Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction. He has also been dropped from the Indian team due to form and fitness issues.
According to Sharma, the possible move to appoint the all-rounder as captain of the Ahmedabad franchise comes as a surprise. He, however, added it is too early to pass a judgment on the same.
Speaking on the Khelneeti podcast, he opined:
“Hardik has never been viewed as captaincy material. It has come as a surprise for all. I still feel he is India’s best all-rounder, who can win you games from impossible situations. He has done the same many times. Regarding captaincy, I am sure the franchise must have discussed things with him and would have perhaps liked his ideas. But only time will tell how good he is and whether he is cut out for captaincy.”
According to reports, Hardik Pandya will be the captain of the Ahmedabad franchise for IPL 2022.
Also, the other two draft choices of the team are Ishan Kishan and Rashid Khan.
#IPL #IPL2022 https://t.co/U9t4pHIq5V
The talented cricketer made his IPL debut for MI in 2015. In 92 matches, he has scored 1476 runs at a strike rate of 153.91. He has also claimed 42 wickets with his medium pacer.
“Maybe he doesn’t want to play under anyone’s shadow” - Nikhil Chopra on Hardik Pandya
Step by step. Putting in the hard yards 💪 https://t.co/MXS34E4zCF
Chipping in on the topic, former off-spinner Nikhil Chopra opined that Hardik Pandya himself may have asked for captaincy from the Ahmedabad franchise.
Chopra stated that the Baroda all-rounder’s match-winning ability would also have been taken into consideration. He elaborated:
“Ups and down are part of every cricketer’s life. But when in form, he has won matches for his franchise in incredible fashion. Ahmedabad must have considered this while making the decision. I feel Hardik wanted to become captain. He must have had a discussion with the franchise. Maybe he doesn’t want to play under anyone’s shadow now and build his own team. The thought is good. Hopefully, Hardik will also rediscover his form soon.”
Continuing the discussion, Chopra added that most IPL franchises are likely to have Indian captains going ahead. According to the former cricketer, appointing a foreign player as skipper is fraught with risk.
He explained:
“Better to have Indian captains in the IPL. I think, based on experience, maximum franchises have decided to appoint Indian players as captains. We saw what happened with KKR. Then, Kane Williamson took over from David Warner at SRH. If a foreign captain does not perform, it puts the franchise in a tight spot. Looking forward, Indian captains will be the way to go in the Indian Premier League.”
IPL’s two most successful captains are from India - Rohit Sharma (five titles with MI) and MS Dhoni (four titles with Chennai Super Kings).