IPL 2023 public sale: Never felt Hardik Pandya was a brand new captain, says Ashish Nehra

Hardik Pandya is being checked out as potential future white-ball captain for India. Little did the world know of his captaincy abilities till Gujarat Titans appointed him as their skipper for IPL 2022. Hardik went on to win the title with the Titans within the group’s inaugural 12 months within the league.

New Delhi,UPDATED: Dec 22, 2022 23:43 IST

Hardik Pandya prone to take over as India’s white-ball captain in future (PTI Photo)

By India Today Web Desk: Former India pacer and Gujarat Titans head coach Ashish Nehra mentioned he didn’t have any doubt about Hardik Pandya’s captaincy abilities from the phrase go and that the all-rounder’s wealthy IPL expertise made him a positive chief for the facet in IPL 2022.

Ashish Nehra mentioned rather a lot has been spoken about Hardik Pandya’s captaincy after Gujarat Titans lifted the IPL 2022 trophy of their first-ever season within the match however that he at all times know concerning the potential that the Baroda star possessed as a frontrunner.

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Eyebrows have been raised when Gujarat Titans, one of many two beginner franchises in IPL 2022, appointed Hardik as their captain regardless of the all-rounder having not performed any aggressive cricket for greater than 6 months within the lead-up to the season.

However, Hardik proved naysayers incorrect, main Gujarat splendidly nicely as they emerged champions. Hardik additionally batted higher-up within the middle-order, scoring a career-high 487 runs and choosing up 8 wickets in 15 matches as he shrugged off harm issues.

Hardik additionally went on to captain India in T20Is after the IPL 2022 success and now’s being checked out by the BCCI top-brass as a possible successor to Rohit Sharma in white-ball codecs.

“Hardik Pandya, at times, people see him as a new captain, struggling from injuries. But when it comes to his captaincy, the kind of ability he has with the bat, and the ball, the kind of persona he has, he is a very positive person. I never doubted that (his captaincy),” Nehra instructed Jio Cinema on the eve of the IPL 2023 public sale in Kochi.

“Now, in the hindsight, we are talking after winning, but it’s not about winning or losing. The kind of aura he has shown, if you ask me as a coach, you can look at a player and tell what he is thinking, Hardik Pandya is a very positive guy. I never felt he is a new captain and he doesn’t know what to do.

“He is a steady man, he’s a assured man. He is aware of tips on how to function in IPL. Maybe, he isn’t somebody who has completed lots of captaincy however he has been a part of the IPL. He was a vital a part of Mumbai Indians, who’ve gained many titles. He was there. There was no scarcity of IPL expertise.

“Everybody has to start somewhere, nobody is a born captain. And you try to mold them. As support staff, we were trying to help him as much as possible,” he added.

Gujarat Titans can be trying to replicate their heroics from the 2022 season, having retained the core of the group.

However, Nehra mentioned each he and Hardik should not complacent, heading into the brand new season.

“Even now, me as a coach, or Hardik as captain, we have always tried to learn. We look forward to trying out new things. The moment you think you know everything, the first year we won, that would be the start of the end.
Hardik Pandya, apart from the results, has been phenomenal,” he added.

Published On:

Dec 22, 2022