WI vs IND: Hardik Pandya catches up with 'GOAT' MS Dhoni after T20I series win

Team India finished their West Indies tour with a big 88-run win in the last T20I match at Lauderhill in Florida on Sunday. They finished the five-match series at 4-1 after a 3-0 whitewash in the ODI series. Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya showcased his leadership skills in the last match as he was given the captaincy duty as regular skipper Rohit Sharma was rested.

The 28-year-old Pandya made a remarkable comeback in international cricket during the South Africa series at home in June 2022. He put on an impressive all-round display against England with two fifties and 11 wickets in five white-ball matches last month. He struggled to replicate that form on the West Indies tour but has become a crucial part of India’s T20I setup ahead of the upcoming 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.

After the Ireland tour, while speaking with Dinesh Karthik, he revealed that former Indian skipper MS Dhoni gave him some advice on how to handle pressure. Now, Hardik has posted a picture with MS Dhoni, which reflects a strong bond between the star finishers. He also put a goat (Greatest of All Time) emoticon, which got the attention of Indian fans.

 

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A post shared by Hardik Himanshu Pandya (@hardikpandya93)

“Early in my days, Mahi Bhai taught me one thing. I asked him how do you get away from pressure and everything. And he gave me very simple advice, ‘Stop thinking about your score and start to think of what your team requires,” Hardik Pandya said to Dinesh Karthik.

Hardik Pandya ready for captaincy role in future

Hardik made his captaincy debut with Gujarat Titans in Indian Premier League 2022 and to everyone’s surprise, he guided them to glory with impressive outings with both bat and ball. He was rewarded with the captaincy role for the first time in international cricket during India’s two-match T20I series against Ireland in June 2022 and India won the series 2-0.

Now, he has captained team India in three T20I matches and is a possible contender to become the regular skipper in the future. The Indian management has experimented lately with Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, and Shikhar Dhawan across formats.

When asked about his interest in guiding India in the future, Hardik said that he will be more than happy to do the honours but currently he is focusing on the upcoming 2022 Asia Cup and T20 World Cup tournaments. “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,” Hardik said.