Aakash Chopra lauds Hardik Pandya: ‘He is the most mature captain from the younger lot’ – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has showered praise on ace Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya for his captaincy.

Hardik has been in excellent form from the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) back in March 2022. Hardik not only showcased his all-round skills at the tournament but also led his side, debutants Gujarat Titans to a maiden IPL title win.

On the back of a successful IPL campaign where he showcased his best leadership skills, the BCCI recently appointed Hardik as the captain for the 17-member Indian side that will play two T20Is against Ireland towards the end of June.

Aakash Chopra took to the social media app Koo and praised Hardik’s captaincy, comparing him with other young contenders for India captaincy.

“Rise and rise of Hardik Pandya. Even though he’s captained only one season… I feel that he’s the most mature captain amongst the younger lot of contenders. Here’s wishing him all the very best for the first assignment for Team India, “Aakash Chopra posted on the Koo app.

Hardik ended up as the highest run-scorer for Gujarat Titans with 487 runs and was also brilliant with the ball, scalping eight wickets at an economy of 7.28 runs per over. Moreover, Gujarat lost only four matches in the league stage and finished first on the points table under the all-rounder’s captaincy.

Hardik also performed decently in the first three T20Is against South Africa in the ongoing series. In the first game against the Proteas, Hardik scored a 12-ball 31 while in the third, Hardik scored 31 off 21 balls. Hardik, however, was dismissed for just nine in the second T20I

The two T20I matches against Ireland will be played on 26 June and 28 June. Fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar will serve as Hardik’s deputy.

However, it will be worthwhile to see if he can reproduce the leadership traits, he showed with Gujarat Titans, in the international arena.

India’s T20I squad: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (vice-captain), Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik