In the absence of regular captain Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya led Team India in the first ODI against Australia at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and impressed one and all with his leadership skills.
Pandya led the ODI side for the first time and delivered a positive result, as India defeated Australia by five wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match ODI series on Friday (March 17).
Well, many people are fans of Hardik’s aggressive captaincy, and the former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja believes that his captaincy would bring back interest in ODI cricket.
Having been impressed by the Indian all-rounder’s attacking style, Jadeja said that people love watching Pandya’s game and his captaincy, which is completely entertaining.
Ajay Jadeja said on Cricbuzz: “Whenever you watch Hardik Pandya play, he plays in a different way. Not just playing, watch him walking in the afternoon, he has a different vibe and that the Indian management has noticed. He is always aggressive, so when you look at the playing XI, who were the bowlers, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, be it a good or bad day for him, that's different.”
He continued, “Then he has kept Kuldeep Yadav, then he himself bowls aggressively. Jadeja is a defensive bowler but is not really defensive. His mindset is aggressive so the captaincy doesn't have a drag in games. Everyone has their own ways, some are successful, some are not.”
Jadeja signed off by saying, “If you look at Kane Williamson, if he would have been far that day in the run out, then people would have said, why did they take it so close. That's his style of playing. Similarly, MS Dhoni had a style, so this is Hardik Pandya's style. This is attacking style, it won't bore you. It will bring back your interest in ODI cricket.”
