‘He has been an impressive captain’ - Sunil Gavaskar heaps praise on Hardik Pandya ahead of ODI series against Australia

After the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy saw India beat Australia in the four-match Test series by a 2-1 margin, the visitors will be keen on settling the score in the upcoming ODI series. Both India and Australia will face each other in a three-match ODI series that is scheduled to begin on March 17.

As India prepare to take on the might Aussies, the hosts will be missing skipper Rohit Sharma in the first ODI of the series as he will be absent due to family commitments. Deputy Hardik Pandya will be leading team India for the first ODI in his absence.

Following the announcement that Hardik will lead India in the first ODI, legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar came forward to heap praise on Pandya and his captaincy. He also opined that Pandya brings a sense of comfort to the squad, and the way he treats players is among the very best.

What you see with Hardik Pandya as a captain is a sense of comfort: Gavaskar

The 73-year-old lavished the positives of the all-rounder's captaincy abilities while talking on the Star Sports show ‘Game Plan'. A bunch of experts came together to discuss a variety of topics ahead of the ODI series between India and Australia.

"What you see with Hardik Pandya as a captain is a sense of comfort with the rest of the team. Maybe, it's the way he handles the players, puts his arm around the players… He just seems to give the players a sense of comfort. That’s so important to give a player a sense of comfort so that he can go out and play his natural game. I think he encourages them, which is a wonderful sign," said the Little Master.

"He has been an impressive captain. I have been very impressed with his captaincy at the T20 level for the Gujarat Titans and for India when he is captaining the T20 side. I do believe that if he wins the first game in Mumbai, then you can almost stamp him as the India captain once the World Cup is over in 2023," he further added.