'He's very confident, has confidence in his players' - R Sai Kishore praises Hardik Pandya’s 'simple' captaincy

Hardik Pandya has impressed everyone with his captaincy abilities as he led Gujarat Titans to the top spot of the points table with 10 wins in 14 matches. His teammate Sai Kishore has stated Pandya’s captaincy is “simple” and added that it has helped the team to perform freely in difficult situations.

Gujarat are gearing up for the Qualifier 1 on Tuesday against Rajasthan Royals at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Sai Kishore added that Pandya’s strong personality has helped to avoid any pressure on players during matches.

“Hardik to me has been pretty simple. In the last game, he came to me and said, ‘Left-hander is batting, do you want me to tell you anything, or you know?’ I said, ‘I know, I’ll take care.’ I find Hardik as a very strong personality. He carries himself with a lot of confidence and has confidence in his players as well. Not trying to impose himself on all the players. Give them their space, their freedom and ‘you express yourselves. If something goes wrong, I’ll be there. That’s how I’ve seen Hardik,” Kishore said during a conversation with Gujarattitansipl.com.

The spinner added Pandya has always backed teammate’s suggestions rather than imposing his on the players. He also thanked coach Ashish Nehra for developing a strong bond with the players, which has helped players like him to be more secure as per him.

“I’ve always loved the kinds of captains who give the responsibility to the player, rather than just imposing always. Then your instincts just get cut off. Credit to captains like that, always fun to play like that.” 

“Definitely, Ashu pa (Ashish Nehra) being a fast bowler himself, he’s someone who reads the game very well. He has kept it pretty simple, like ‘this guy is a compulsive puller’, ‘this guy is good square of the wicket’, ‘this guy is good when it’s pitched up, let’s not give it up. It’s been simple, but clear plans to execute. With Ashu pa also being a bowler, it has helped us so much. It has made the job very easy.”