Former Indian opener Navjot Singh Sidhu believes that Hardik Pandya is going to lead India in white-ball cricket after Rohit Sharma decides to retire from international cricket. Sidhu said that Hardik Pandya is the future of Team India, and the board is also keeping an eye on the future. That is why Hardik Pandya was made the deputy of Rohit Sharma.
In his exclusive interaction, Siddhu also backed Jasprit Bumrah to lead India in test matches in the near future.
Navjot Singh Sidhu said, “Hardik Pandya is the future. Rohit is now around 36–37. He has a couple more years left. He is a superb captain and a wonderful player. If you ask me, he is poetry in motion. Whenever I see him, it looks like time has stopped. But you have to actually look forward and prepare the ground for someone to take over.”
Siddhu further added, “I am not advocating Hardik Pandya for Test match captaincy. But he is your vice captain. He captained India in T20Is for close to a year when Rohit was not there. Hardik is your natural choice. That’s why BCCI has named him the team’s vice captain. There’s a lot of planning and consideration that goes into it before BCCI takes a call.”
Apart from Hardik Pandya, Sidhu also backed Jasprit Bumrah to lead India in test matches in the near future. Sidhu believes that Bumrah deserves the best because of his performances in test matches.
Siddhu said, “If you look at the red ball, BCCI has made a plan well in advance. Jasprit Bumrah is another unsung hero. We talk a lot about Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, etc., but Jasprit Bumrah has been handling expectations wonderfully well. Look at how he has returned from injury; he made the ball talk about his comeback.”
Siddhu further added, “So he was the natural choice for vice captain. You can have Jasprit Bumrah as the test match captain. It’s too early to say. There are so many things to consider when you decide about the captain. It’s about the team. It’s about the team. But Bumrah has captured England; he deserves it.”
