Following India’s victory over Australia by 2-1 in the four-match Test series of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2023, Australia will be eager to redeem themselves in the upcoming ODI series. The two teams are set to compete in a three-match ODI series, which is slated to commence on March 17. India will be without their captain Rohit Sharma in the first ODI against Australia as he will be away on personal grounds. Hardik Pandya, the vice-captain, will take over the leadership duties for the first ODI in his absence.
Sunil Gavaskar praised Hardik Pandya for his captaincy skills after he was named as the stand-in captain for India in the first ODI against Australia. Gavaskar also said that Pandya is a comfort to the team and he treats his fellow players in an excellent manner.
Sunil Gavaskar on Hardik Pandya
On the Star Sports show ‘Game Plan,’ a panel of experts discussed several topics related to the upcoming ODI series between India and Australia, including the captaincy of Hardik Pandya. Sunil Gavaskar praised Pandya’s leadership skills and the positive impact he has on the squad.
“What you see with Hardik Pandya as a captain is a sense of comfort with the rest of the team. Maybe, it’s the way he handles the players, puts his arm around the players… He just seems to give the players a sense of comfort. That’s so important to give a player a sense of comfort so that he can go out and play his natural game. I think he encourages them, which is a wonderful sign,” Gavaskar said.
“He has been an impressive captain. I have been very impressed with his captaincy at the T20 level for the Gujarat Titans and for India when he is captaining the T20 side. I do believe that if he wins the first game in Mumbai, then you can almost stamp him as the India captain once the World Cup is over in 2023,” he added.
