Hardik Pandya ready to be a permanent captain of Indian team

Pandya has been an inspirational leader for India

All-rounder Hardik Pandya feels he is ready to take over the leadership role of the Indian team in the near future. 

Earlier this year, Pandya led the Gujarat Titans to the Indian Premier League (IPL) title in his debut stint as a captain. 

The 28-year-old was soon chosen as the skipper of the Men in Blue for the Ireland series. Under his leadership, India secured a clean sweep, which furthered his claim to be a deputy to captain Rohit Sharma. 

On August 7 (Sunday), the swashbuckling batter led the Indian team to an 88-run victory in the fifth T20I against West Indies to seal the series 3-1. 

More than happy to be a captain: Pandya

Pandya reckoned that he will surely embrace the role of a leader, if an opportunity arrives. However, he thinks the team has important assignments like Asia Cup and T20I World Cup, and the focus will be on enhancing the skillsets. 

"Yeah! why not? If I get an opportunity in the future, I'll be more than happy to do that, but right now we have the World Cup, and we have the Asia Cup," said Pandya. 

"We're going to focus on that and make sure as a team what we're doing, we continue [with that] and make sure that all the skillsets, which we are learning we can keep getting better at it, and at the same point of time enjoy the game as well."

Pandya feels exciting to have so many leaders in the team

The Titans captain thinks IPL has helped to produce quality leaders for the team, which has made the job much easier for the Indian skippers. 

Furthermore, Pandya thinks the leadership experience of the players can help them handle pressure and understand the game better in international cricket. 

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