‘They pick holes out of the decisions you make’ - Tom Moody warns Hardik Pandya about downsides of captaincy ahead of IPL 2024
"He has got a team that will back up and take away the pressure of inconsistent performances. He will have the support of the Indian and overseas players," Moody said.
The 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to begin on March 22, and with the start of the new season, many fans will be gearing up to see the five-time champion Mumbai Indians under new leadership.
Star India all-rounder Hardik Pandya was named as the new captain of MI. Notably, he replaced Rohit Sharma in the role. Pandya was traded from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians in an all-cash deal and is now all set to lead the five-time champions in the tournament.
With the responsibility of leading the side, former Australia cricketer Tom Moody came forward to laud Pandya, branding him as a proven performer. However, the former Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) coach. did not undermine the steep challenges and the downsides of captaincy Pandya may have to go through.
"He has got a team that will back up and take away the pressure of inconsistent performances. He will have the support of the Indian and overseas players because he is a highly respected cricketer and a performer as an all-rounder," Moody told ESPNcricinfo.
"But, captaincy can be a completely different game once you lose two or three games and suddenly they pick holes out of your leadership, they pick holes out of the decisions you make," he added.
He will be supported by all the senior players: Moody
Furthermore, Tom Moody reiterated the fact that Hardik Pandya has proven himself capable of leading a team. It is worth noting that under his leadership, Gujarat Titans went on to win their maiden IPL title in 2022, and lost the summit clash in 2023.
"When you are winning, you can make the craziest decisions, and still people build them up to being genius strokes. Hardik has the credentials as the Gujarat Titans leader, he is tactically sound and he will be supported by all the senior players, both Indian and overseas," Moody concluded.
Also Read: 'He will always have a hand on my shoulder' - Hardik Pandya on relationship with Rohit Sharma
With the new season of the IPL approaching, Hardik Pandya’s first assignment will be taking on his former franchise Gujarat Titans. Both sides will face off at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in the fifth game of the tournament on March 24.
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