“Whatever he says has to be given importance,” Shastri on Hardik’s role in building new-look Indian T20I team

Hardik Pandya has led India in T20Is ever since the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final exit.

Ever since India’s ouster from the T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final, the team has been led by two different captains in the white-ball formats. Hardik Pandya has led the Men in Blue in T20Is whereas Rohit Sharma continues to lead the side in the 50-over format.

In fact, Rohit along with senior batter Virat Kohli is yet to play a T20I since India's exit from the 2022 edition of T20 World Cup. 

While the selectors are yet to make an official statement on Rohit and Kohli’s T20I future, former head coach Ravi Shastri is expecting a number of fresh faces in India’s T20 World Cup squad next year with Hardik having a “big say” in selection matters.

“I think they will (look in new direction),” Shastri told ESPNCricinfo. “The T20 World Cup is coming up and there is lot of talent among youth. This year’s IPL, we have seen some refreshing new talent. There will be new faces not a new team. He (Hardik) is already captain of India, so he will continue unless he is not fit.”

Shastri feels just like the inaugural edition of T20 World Cup in 2007, India would field a relatively new team full of youngsters in the upcoming tournament.

“Now they would go the 2007 T20 World Cup route and identify talent, and he (Hardik) will have big choice and his ideas will be different and he would have played IPL, and seen a lot of other players as captain of IPL.

“Obviously, he is the man who is going to take these guys out on the park, no one else, so whatever he says has to be given importance,” he added.

However, Shastri wants the concerned people to have priorities clear.

“Don’t even think of T20 World Cup till ODI World Cup is over, and after that you have enough time for T20s.”

According to Shastri, Hardik Pandya is at his decision-making best when he is fit and leading from the front.

“He is supremely confident about his own abilities and the fact that he is fit now, makes a massive difference,” he stated.

With Hardik unlikely to play Test cricket again considering his injury-prone body, Shastri feels even if the all-rounder bowls in white-ball formats, there won’t be a lot of workload.

“Not really and I will tell you why,” Shastri said when asked if Pandya’s bowling workload will be key.

“October is the (ODI) World Cup. They don’t play any cricket after the IPL, probably 4-5 matches. It’s not that he is playing three formats. You have Test matches and the moment Test series comes, he gets a corridor of a month to rest,” Shastri said.

(With PTI Inputs)