'He gives me glimpses of MS Dhoni' - Ex-India batter adds new name in ODI captaincy race with Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill
"I still feel in white-ball cricket, Hardik Pandya will do miracles. As a captain in white-ball cricket," Suresh Raina said.
As per reports, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer are the prime contenders to become India's next ODI captain, taking over the reins from Rohit Sharma whenever the iconic cricketer decides to hang up his boots. Rohit is 38 years old, and while he has expressed his eagerness to lead India in the 2027 ODI World Cup, his form and fitness have made a section of fans pessimistic about his future.
While Shubman has taken charge as India's skipper in red-ball cricket, he might face stiff competition from Shreyas as far as ODI captaincy is concerned. However, Suresh Raina feels that Hardik Pandya can also excel as the captain of the Indian team in white-ball cricket. The former India batter also drew parallels between Pandya and legends like Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni.
"Shubman Gill. However, they decide. Gill any day (over Iyer). I still feel in white-ball cricket, Hardik Pandya will do miracles. As a captain in white-ball cricket. Gill can be. He should be. He has the experience of Kapil paaji. He is a very positive guy. He is a player's captain. He gives me glimpses of MS Dhoni. I like how he conducts himself on the field," said Raina in an interaction on Shubhankar Mishra's YouTube channel.
Raina names all-time CSK XI
Raina played an important role in helping the Chennai Super Kings win five Indian Premier League (IPL) titles. He was asked to name his ideal Playing XI for the Men in Yellow. While naming his all-time XI, Raina had special praise for left-arm spinner Shadab Jakati.
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"Murali Vijay, Matthew Hayden, Michael Hussey, Suresh Raina, Subramaniam Badrinath, Albie Morkel, Doug Bollinger, Shadab Jakati, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, L Balaji, Mohit Sharma. If you want an impact player, then I would keep Muralitharan Sir," said Raina.
"I think the X-factor Shadab Jakati was; he didn't get the recognition. He performed very well when we won in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. Whatever we qualified, he did exceptionally well," he added.
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