'After MS Dhoni is Gone, That Responsibility is on me': Read Hardik Pandya's Viral Statement Here After IND vs NZ 3rd T20I

Hardik Pandya has had great success as a T20I captain since he took over the job after the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022. Since Hardik took over as captain, India have won in New Zealand in an away series, Sri Lanka at home and against Black Caps again at home. Hardik, who won the maiden trophy for debutants Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022, surely knows a thing or two about captaincy and looks set to be India's next white-ball captain across formats, that is ODIs and T20Is. There was no official statement that came from BCCI which announced him as the permanent T20 skipper but Hardik's response to the role reflects his seriousness about the job. 

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Talking to the press after India thrashed New Zealand in the last and third T20I at Ahmedabad, Hardik spoke of how he wants to emulate Dhoni as skipper. The 29-year-old said that he likes hitting sixes but now he would would rather play calmly to give assurance to his batting partner that he was there to bat till the end. He added that he wants to swallow as much pressure as possible using his wealth of experience and let the younger guys play their natural game. 

Dominant performance! And special @ShubmanGill show ____ pic.twitter.com/1YMb3YC55P — hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) February 1, 2023

When Hardik led GT in IPL 2022, he batted at No 4 and looked to do a similar job. Needless to say, it was a successful experiment. On Wednesday, Hardik came to bat at No 5, a spot which was Dhoni's in white ball games. He scored 30 off 17 balls. Usually if Hardik has played 17 balls, he can score anything around or more than 40. But this is not Hardik of old. 

"Maybe I have to get my strike rate down for that. Taking new roles is always that I look forward to. I want to take the new ball role too, because I don't want anyone to come and take that difficult role. If they're under pressure, then we are chasing the game. I want to lead the front. I've been working on my new ball skills."

"I don't mind playing the role that somewhere down the line, Mahi used to play. At that time, I was young and hitting all around the park. But since he's gone, all of a sudden, that responsibility is onto me. I don't mind that. We are getting the results. It's okay if I have to play a little slow," said the India captain.

India's white-ball specialists will now be resting until the end of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy that concluded in March. Hardik will be back for the ODIs vs Australians before he joins GT to defend the IPL title.