Hardik Pandya is becoming the new captain of the Indian team: WV Raman

Former India cricketer WV Raman believes that all-rounder Hardik Pandya is becoming the new captain of India. He said that there will be excitement, going into the India tour of Ireland for a two-match T20I series for which Hardik is named as the India captain. Pandya also captained Gujarat Titans in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL), the side that won the tournament.

Raman said that the way Pandya led his side in the IPL has raised everyone’s expectations. He mentioned that the best thing about the Indian all-rounder in the tournament was the way he took responsibility. Raman feels that the 28-year-old would continue the same way and motivate the rest.

“There will be excitement in this series because Hardik Pandya is becoming the new captain of the Indian team,” said Raman, during a chat with News24 Sports. “The way he captained an IPL team raises everyone’s expectations. His habit of taking responsibility was the best thing I found in the IPL. The expectation is that he will continue in the same way, will motivate everyone nicely.”

Hardik Pandya becomes an extremely important member of the team: Raman

Raman also spoke about how Hardik’s all-round abilities can provide a good balance go the Indian team going into the T20 World Cup in Australia. “The second thing is that Hardik Pandya is a good all-rounder, he has started bowling again, so this will give the team good balance when we go to the World Cup. Once his confidence increases in the bowling, Hardik Pandya becomes an extremely important member of the team,” said the former India player.

Hardik guided Gujarat Titans to their maiden IPL title with a Man of the Match performance in the final against Rajasthan Royals. He was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with figures of three wickets for 17 runs in four overs, and also made a valuable contribution with the bat, scoring 34 runs off 30 balls while chasing a target of 131. 

When asked if Hardik should lead the team ahead of Rohit Sharma, Raman said that we would have to wait to see how he leads the Indian team, adding that it depends on how the selection committee assesses of the 28-year-old in the Ireland series. “We will have to see what is their (selection committee) convictions, ideas, and views after seeing his captaincy so that they can make a decision based on that,” said Raman.