Dilip Vengsarkar was highly impressed by premier allrounder Hardik Pandya’s captaincy stint with Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League and said the cricketer could be a future full-time India skipper.
Vengsarkar believes Pandya, who is set to lead India for their two-match T20I series in Dublin against Ireland, is a potential long-term skipper for the decision-makers to consider.
The ex Test cricketer talked up Pandya’s captaincy stocks, feeling inspired by his attitude as Titans’ skipper and the way he “led from the front” throughout the new entrant’s successful campaign towards a maiden IPL crown in May.
“He came into bat at the fall of two wickets [in the IPL 2022 final]. He led from the front and guided the team very well in his first major tournament as captain. An allrounder plays an important role in the team. He is an option [but] it depends on the selectors, their vision and plans,”
Vengsarkar said on the sidelines of an event, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
He also lauded Pandya for his stellar comeback from a five-month-long sabbatical after the end of the T20 World Cup in UAE last November. While there was no official word from the selectors why the premier allrounder wasn’t being picked during that phase, it is understood the longstanding fitness issues and underperformance at the World Cup were the reason why the think-tank wanted to give him time to regain his lost mojo.
And the 28-year-old did exactly that by top-scoring for Gujarat with 487 runs at a healthy average of 44.27 and strike-rate of 131.26. Pandya promoted himself up and owned a greater share of the responsibility for Titans.
But perhaps more than his batting, it was the revival of Pandya the right-arm seamer that was heartening to see, with him chipping in regularly and at full-tilt as the fifth bowler. He delivered his overs at a respectable economy rate of 7.27, taking eight wickets.
Three of which came during a pivotal spell in the final where he bagged the likes of Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler and Shimron Hetmyer against the Rajasthan Royals.
“The way he came back from injury is great. He must have worked very hard on his fitness. He did very well in the IPL and as a captain he did well. [He is a] very fine allrounder.”
Vengsarkar’s 1983 World Cup-winning teammate and another ex-selector, Roger Binny, though, reckons Pandya’s real test begins now as he would need to keep persistent with his newly revived fitness standards and bowl more overs for the Titans and if and when he gets the chance to lead India.
“He’s got to lead from the front.Sometimes you tend to over-bowl or under-bowl yourself – lot of times as a captain you do that. But then you have other players in the side to advice,”
Binny said at the same event.
“You have to keep performing. When you get the post of captain/vice-captain, you have got to lead from the front and got to be consistently playing. He’s got to watch the injuries because he tends to be under the weather. So that’ll be utmost on his mind and also in the minds of the selectors and those watching,”
he added.
In Ireland, Pandya would have the chance to add another string to his bow as an experienced allround cricketer for India. Leading an alternate Indian squad, with Test regulars busy in England, he will have the opportunity to impress the selectors and keep himself higher in the reckoning for future captaincy opportunities.
India face Ireland in a pair of T20Is in Malahide on June 26 and 28.
