Need to give Hardik Pandya a fairly long rope to make sure he starts performing: Kapil Dev

Team India is currently engaging in three-match ODI series against New Zealand under the leadership of Rohit Sharma. However, mercurial all-rounder, Hardik Pandya will once again take over the mantle in the upcoming T20I series in the absence of Rohit. Former Indian skipper Kapil Dev has urged the management to back Hardik even if the team loses a few matches or a series under him.

Hardik Pandya has emerged as the front-runner to replace Rohit Sharma as the next Indian skipper after a successful stint with the team in the shortest format of the game. He is being groomed as the next T20I captain for the time being, as India is preparing for the WTC and the 50-over World Cup later this year. 

However, given Team India's experiment in the captaincy department last year, former World Cup winning skipper Kapil Dev has urged the management to stick with the Indian all-rounder. He feels Hardik should be given a long rope as he will make mistakes and might even go on losing a few matches and series as the Indian skipper. 

"I think one shouldn't look at the world. You look at your team and your way of thinking. If Hardik Pandya is there, they should not say if you lose one series, we will remove you. If you make someone a captain, you have to give him a fairly long rope to make sure he will start performing. He will make mistakes but they key is that you don't see the error but focus on whether he is ready for taking the team and look for the future. You don’t go series-by-series," Kapil told Gulf News.

Hardik Pandya is likely to lead the team in next year's T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA, with senior players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul shifting their focus on the longer formats of the game. The flamboyant all-rounder was pivotal to Gujarat Titan's title charge in their maiden IPL season and has transformed into a dependable figure ever since taking the leadership role for his IPL franchise.

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