Following India’s defeat in the T20I series against the West Indies, Hardik Pandya’s leadership as captain came under fire. Since 2006, Hardik became the first captain of India to lose a bilateral series to the West Indies.
In the just finished series against West Indies, Hardik’s overall play and his leadership were scrutinized. Now that the Ireland series is over, he will take a sabbatical before rejoining the national team in time for the 2023 Asia Cup.
In a recent YouTube video, Aakash Chopra discussed how Hardik has several captaincy philosophies and said that his captaincy is continuously evolving.
In the T20 World Cup in 2024, he might serve as the captain of the Indian team. He currently seems to be a work-in-progress as a captain. Chopra stated, “He had once brought the Gujarat Titans to the final and won them the championship.
He added that Ashish Nehra’s presence in the GT camp may have had an impact on the leadership style he chooses for his IPL team.
He has only skippered twice, but he did a fantastic job both times. There is a definite trend when he captains that team. Nearly everything is predictable. You were taken aback one or two times, but other from those instances, his captaincy was flawless. Chopra continued, “Perhaps it was the combo pack of him and Ashish Nehra.
The former Indian cricketer added that unlike his IPL squad, where he follows a predetermined blueprint, Hardik has no defined pattern while he is coaching the Indian team.
When Hardik Pandya leads India, there is no model or pattern, according to Aakash Chopra.
“However, there is a lot of ups and downs when he is leading the Indian team. There is neither a blueprint nor a pattern, but that’s okay since you can still surprise the opposition squad. It’s acceptable if your own team benefits from that, but what if the players on your squad are unable to prepare?, Chopra continued.
Hardik failed to utilize Yuzvendra Chahal properly against the West Indies, according to Aakash Chopra. In the series, he bowled 18 over, taking just five wickets from five games. He also accused the captain of underutilizing Axar Patel and Mukesh Kumar.
“Yuzi (Yuzvendra) Chahal cuts his bowling efficiency in half while in the powerplay. You never learn what Axar Patel is doing or if he is a hitter or a bowler. Mukesh Kumar only bowls in the closing stages. sometimes you bowl, you sometimes use a new ball and sometimes you don’t. I believe it only causes a little more uncertainty,” Chopra said in conclusion.
