He is a players' captain: VVS Laxman's praise for Hardik Pandya

Ahead of India’s contest against New Zealand, VVS Laxman, India’s stand-in coach for Rahul Dravid, pointed out why Hardik Pandya is actually the right choice for the Indian captaincy. Not only did he point out Hardik’s brilliance but he was also vocal about the possible approach that Team India would resort to against the mighty Blackcaps.

Talking in a press conference about the Indian skipper for the T20I series against New Zealand, Laxman said, “He is a fabulous leader. We have seen what he has done in the IPL. I have spent time with him from Ireland. His presence and work ethic are exemplary. He is a players' captain and is approachable. Players confide in him. He leads by example.”

Shifting his focus to the Indian stance that we may see in the upcoming series, the former Indian batter stated, “In T20I cricket, we need to play with freedom and fearlessness and we have such players that can go out and express themselves. The message given to them by the captain and management is that they bat fearlessly but also keep conditions and situations in mind and create strategies accordingly.”

He also talked about how a player being multidimensional can be a huge reward for any team in the shortest format of the game. Elaborating his point, Laxman said, “More number of bowlers who can bat adds depth to batting lineup and gives freedom to batters to go out and express themselves. That is the need of the format and I am sure that more teams will try getting this in their selection process and identify players who are multi-dimensional.”

The ground dimensions in New Zealand and Australia have always been a challenge and adapting to them isn’t as slick as you would think it to be for any cricketer. “It is not about the smaller grounds, but the dimensions of the ground. In Wellington and Auckland, there are no normal cricket grounds. The best part of international cricket is that you have to adapt to conditions and situations. I am sure the team will do that. Based on the strengths and weaknesses of the opponents, you need to create a strategy and execute it perfectly”, concluded the Indian coach.