Lalchand Rajput lauds Hardik Pandya, expects him to play freely without captaincy burden

After Rohit Sharma announced his retirement from T20I cricket, Hardik Pandya was expected to fill in his boots, as BCCI groomed the all-rounder for the role. However, interestingly, Suryakumar Yadav was named as the new captain in T20Is and as per the former cricketer Lalchand Rajput, it can be a blessing in disguise for Pandya. 

Rajput wants Pandya to focus on his game and expects the cricketer to play freely without the captaincy burden to play to his potential. He also wants Pandya to eye for a red-ball comeback as India gear for a mega five-match series against Australia later in the year. The 30-year-old played his last Test match in 2018 against England and since then, multiple injuries have ruled him out of contention for the longest format.

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The former cricketer believes that Pandya could add a lot of value to the Test side as he is someone who can change the course of the game.

“I would love to see him in the red-ball cricket. He is a player who can change the course of the game in all three departments. If he could do well in red-ball cricket, that would add value to the team. He's an all-rounder who can come at no.6 and also bowl a couple of overs,” Rajput told Hindustan Times.

Rajput backed Suryakumar to do well as captain in T20Is and understood the team management’s decision to drop Pandya from the role. He wants Pandya to focus on his all-round skills and deliver in the team's interest.

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“I think the selectors must have thought in the line with coach, too. The management wants Hardik Pandya to do well. If they release him from captaincy, he can play freely and give his best performance with bat and ball.

“I heard the press conference of Ajit Agarkar, he said most of the time he was unfit. They need a captain who is fit to play all the games. That must have tilted the favour towards Suryakumar Yadav. SKY has also been a captain of the Mumbai Ranji team and started early in the T20 format. He will lead the team in the best possible way,” the 62-year-old added.