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'Captain' Hardik Pandya Must Use His Own Skillset Judiciously To Take Team India To Next Level

image-lkw8urhiHardik Pandya has been projected as Rohit Sharma's successor for India in limited-overs cricket (Image - AP Photos)

You win some, you lose some. You move forward by learning from your errors and trying to do better the following day.  However, some individuals seem overconfident and keep making the same mistakes over and over again. 

One of them on the unwanted list is Hardik Pandya. While the 29-year-old all-rounder's abilities and past successes are frequently highlighted, his persistent mistakes—which were noticeable in India's four-run loss to the West Indies in the first T20I series—constantly make headlines.

Let us start with the truth. Given the success he had during Gujarat Titans' first two IPL seasons, there is little doubt that Hardik will succeed Rohit Sharma in India's limited-overs format. There are some concerns regarding the direction of Indian cricket under Hardik's leadership, and each one of them is very serious.

Hardik frequently moves up the order and bowls a few extra overs even when it is not necessary. Similar circumstances happened on Thursday when he promoted himself to No. 5 and kept Sanju Samson in the dressing room to follow him. Samson (12) and Hardik (19) both left the field with a strike rate of exactly 100, but the latter was hurt by being put in the unpreferred position of having to bat.

Isn't Samson supposed to pick up speed in the middle overs while Hardik is supposed to finish the innings? These are their primary roles, right? Less than 48 hours before the first T20I, Hardik made headlines by performing the same in the ODI decider as well, scoring a fiery 52-ball 70. 18 of those runs came from the last over only, demonstrating that he still has the fire in his veins.

Hardik’s batting at No. 6 simultaneously allowed Sanju to bat higher than him, and he took full advantage of the opportunity by hitting his maiden ODI half-century. Why did they abruptly switch their positions in the following game when there was no reason to in a simple scenario?

This is an area that Hardik needs to address. After seven T20Is in 2023, his strike rate stands at 109.24, tallying 130 runs. His strike rates of 145.91 in 2022 (after 27 matches) and 139.83 in 2021 (after 11 matches) demonstrated that he fulfilled India’s requirements as a finisher. But lately, things have not been moving in the right direction, and Hardik needs only to look within himself to discover why.

"We were right in the chase. We made some errors which cost us, but it is fine. A young team will make mistakes. I have always believed that in T20 cricket, if you lose wickets, it becomes difficult to chase down a total. When we lost a couple of wickets [in a row]... it cost us. The bowling combination [of three spinners] was down to the conditions. We wanted Yuzi and Kuldeep to play together, and Axar brings batting. For Mukesh to have these two weeks and make his debut was fantastic. Very pleasing to see the way Tilak started his innings," Hardik told the host broadcasters after the game.

There are so many power hitters in India who are moving up the ranks and can accelerate in the middle overs. However, they don’t have any out-and-out replacement for Hardik, who can go ballistic in the death overs, and also round his arms for a few overs of pace bowling. That must first be realized by Hardik, who should then adjust his plans.

Making decisions on the field is yet another critical area where Hardik needs to improve. He made a smart move to ask Yuzvendra Chahal to bowl in the Powerplay during the previous match but disappointed everyone by preventing the leg-spinner from bowling his entire quota. Despite the fact that you have some options, you can’t fail to make full use of someone who is your best wicket-taking option and struck twice in his first over. You need to figure out how to use him effectively. There are no excuses.

Will Hardik this time take heed of his mistakes? Let us wait and see what tactics he develops for the second T20I, which will take place in Guyana two days later.