‘It will bring back your interest in ODI cricket’ - Ajay Jadeja praises Hardik Pandya’s captaincy

In the absence of Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya led the Men in Blue in the first ODI of the ongoing series against Australia. Notably, the 29-year-old was spot on with his bowling changes as the visiting team was bundled out for 188 in the first innings. Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj ran havoc as the Australian players failed to settle themselves in the middle. India, in the second innings, had their own issues to deal with but nevertheless, managed to win the match by five wickets.

Meanwhile, former cricketer Ajay Jadeja was very impressed with Hardik’s captaincy in the opening game of the series. He believes that the all-rounder has a different vibe and that his aggressive nature can bring back the interest of the fans in ODI cricket.

“Whenever you watch Hardik Pandya play, he plays in a different way. Not just playing, watch him walking in the afternoon, he has a different vibe. He is always aggressive, so when you look at the playing XI, who were the bowlers, Shami, Siraj, be it a good or bad day for him, that's different.

Then he has kept Kuldeep, then he himself bowls aggressively. Jadeja is a defensive bowler but is not really defensive. His mindset is aggressive so the captaincy doesn't have a drag in games. Everyone has their own way, some are successful, some are not,” Ajay Jadeja said while talking to Cricbuzz.

This is attacking style, it won't bore you: Jadeja

Going ahead with the conversation, the 52-year-old also stated that everyone has a different style of captaincy but Pandya’s will not bore the fans because of his aggressive mindset.

He cited the differences using the examples of successful captains like Kane Williamson and MS Dhoni and went on to explain how Pandya's captaincy could generate interest among fans.

“If you look at Kane Williamson, if he would have been far that day in the runout, then people would have said, why did they take it so close. That's his style of playing. Similarly, MS Dhoni had a style, so this is Hardik Pandya's style. This is attacking style, it won't bore you. It will bring back your interest in ODI cricket,” Jadeja added.

Notably, India will take on Australia in the second ODI of the series on March 19 at Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.

For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS App Store and Google Play Store