Former spinner Harbhajan Singh has tipped Hardik Pandya as Team India’s future skipper after seeing his captaincy in the recently held IPL 2022, where he led Gujarat Titans (GT) to the title in their maiden season.
Hardik made a staggering comeback in the IPL 15 after being under a scanner for being unfit and in and out of the Indian team due to fitness issues. He led the Titans from the front, scoring 487 runs and claiming 8 wickets in the tournament.
Pandya also won the Player of the Match award in the final against Rajasthan Royals (RR) as he returned with the figures of 3/17 and played a crucial knock of 34 runs.
"One of the biggest revelations in this year's IPL was the advent of Hardik Pandya as the skipper of the Gujarat Titans and the way he led the team from the front to win the coveted title is definitely praiseworthy. His intent and positive captaincy are signs that he can lead Team India in the future," Harbhajan told PTI in an interview.
The legendary off-spinner also shared his thoughts on Virat Kohli, who struggled badly in the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League. The veteran RCB batter ended the season with 341 runs from 16 innings at an average of 22.73 and a strike rate of 115.98.
"Kohli is a kind of cricketer who always gives his best when he is out there in the middle. Given the quality of cricket he has delivered to us over the years, I am extremely confident that he would make a comeback soon. He has always been an achiever," Harbhajan stated.
A number of IPL performers have been rewarded a place in the Indian squad for the five-T20I series against South Africa, starting June 9 in Delhi. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh has received his maiden call-up along with SRH’s pace sensation Umran Malik while the 18-member squad also features Rututaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi among others.
"It's a golden opportunity for these youngsters to do something special ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup later this year. The team management has injected the young blood into the squad against South Africa this time, and they have every potential to make it big before the flagship event," Harbhajan said.
Dinesh Karthik, 37, also made his return to the India T20I squad for the upcoming series against South Africa on the back of his exploits in the IPL 2022.
Playing for RCB, the right-hander scored 330 runs in 16 innings at an incredible strike rate of 183.33. In particular, his brutal hitting in the death overs impressed one and all.
Speaking on Karthik, Harbhajan said: "Dinesh Karthik, the kind of cricketer he is, and at this stage of his career, he is just trying to prove to himself that he is still good enough to represent the Indian colours.”
"His determination, attitude, and most importantly, the fact that he believes, he has still got a lot to give to the Indian cricket team, are definitely laudable and he has definitely set a precedent by doing that," he further remarked.
(With PTI inputs)
