By Our Special Correspondent
A penchant for leading by example mingles with intent and positivity to make IPL title-winning skipper Hardik Pandya a strong contender for Indian captaincy in near future, reckons spin great Harbhajan Singh.
The 28-year-old all-rounder is being tipped as a future India captain after leading unfenced Gujarat Titans to victory in their maiden season in the world’s most lucrative T20 league.
“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.
It was the culmination of an extraordinary season that began with experts refusing to put their money on the franchise after questioning its purchases in the player auction.
Their flamboyant skipper, however, had other ideas as, after having surprised everyone with his precise decision-making and field placements, took three wickets and scored 34 runs against Rajasthan Royals in the final, which was attended by a crowd of over one lakh in the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Motera.
As the discussion turned to Virat Kohli, the former spinner with 417 Test and 269 ODI wickets said that his slump is temporary and the batting maestro would make a resounding comeback very soon.
“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,” stated the legendary spinner.
For the five-match T20I series against South Africa, the Indian team management is relying on a number of youngsters who have performed brilliantly in this year’s IPL.
Harbhajan said this is a great opportunity for the likes of Rututaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan, Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh to impress in the international arena ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in Australia in October-November.
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