IPL 2022: He is knocking on the door of Indian captaincy – Shoaib Akhtar on Hardik Pandya

Former Pakistan gun fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar believes Hardik Pandya is knocking on the door of Indian captaincy after he impressed while leading the Gujarat Titans in Tata IPL 2022.

Pandya led Gujarat Titans to nine wins in the 13 league stage matches and the team finished at the numero uno position in the points table.

There is no doubt that the Gujarat Titans were the best team in the league stage and a lot of credit goes to Hardik Pandya as he was able to lead from the front. Thus, he has been able to get the best out of his players in a high-pressure tournament. GT also won the first qualifier against Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets to book their place in the final.

Pandya has taken the responsibility of batting in the middle overs and he has been able to deliver the goods. The right-hander has scored 453 runs in 14 matches (before the IPL final) at an impressive average of 45.30 and a strike rate of 132.84. In fact, Pandya is known for providing the finishing touches to the innings but he adopted a different role in the middle order for Gujarat Titans.

Furthermore, Pandya has scalped five wickets and he has bowled crucial overs for his team.

Speaking to Sportskeeda, Shoaib Akhtar said, “It is the fact that Hardik Pandya is leaving a mark. He is knocking on the door of Indian captaincy. One is not sure how long Rohit Sharma will continue as captain.”

“It’s never easy to captain the Indian cricket team. Hardik has proved his point (as a leader) but he still needs to focus on his fitness and bowling. When he was fit as an all-rounder, he was an automatic choice in the Indian team. As a pure batter, though, there is no vacancy in the Indian team.”

On the other hand, Rawalpindi Express reckons Rashid Khan has complemented Hardik Pandya very well as the vice-captain of the team. Rashid Khan has also taken 18 wickets in 15 matches for Gujarat Titans and he has also played an instrumental role in taking the team to the final of the IPL.

“Rashid Khan has complemented Hardik very well. He has done the job with both bat and ball. He is a wonderful character and an asset for the team.”