Should India consider Hardik Pandya in the captaincy race?

Gujarat Titans won their maiden Indian Premier League title after defeating Rajasthan Royals in the final, powered by Hardik Pandya. The newly established IPL franchise finished first in the league stage and went on to win the trophy by playing terrific cricket in the Playoffs and Final. Questions were raised over Pandya’s choice as Gujarat Titans captain heading into the IPL 2022 season.

All concerns were put to rest, however, as the Indian all-rounder led the squad from the front. Pandya’s leadership abilities astounded everyone, given that he had not captained a competitive cricket team since he was a U-16 player. Pandya’s injury woes had kept him out of play and as a result, he was dropped from the Indian squad.

Moreover, he opted out of the game and wanted to focus on his health conditions before making a comeback. With his play in IPL 2022, though, he proved his critics wrong. Pandya’s leadership skills were praised by many cricketing veterans like Sunil Gavaskar, Michael Vaughn, Kevin Pietersen, and his team’s coach Gary Kirsten among others.

He got a berth in Team India for the South Africa home series based on his overall performance in the IPL 2022. He was adjudged Player of the Match in the IPL 2022 final, taking three wickets for 17 runs and scoring 34 runs to assist his team chase down a low total of 131 runs against Rajasthan Royals.

His performance was notable for his calmness throughout the campaign, even during some of the most difficult moments of the game.  He took on a different position as a middle-order hitter than he did for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL throughout the years. He had a significant role as captain and a batting one that was substantially different from what he had performed in other IPL seasons.

The all-rounder raised his head high after scoring 487 runs and taking eight wickets in the season. Only the legendary Shane Warne, the first-ever skipper of RR, and Pandya have won the IPL title in their first season as captain.

Pandya has proved a point with the victory, and he will surely be on the lookout whenever the selectors search for a captaincy option for the Indian squad. Like KL Rahul was appointed as the skipper for the South Africa series with a bunch of new talent, there are chances of similar instances where a different team is prepared for a series, and Pandya can surely be a prospective skipper.