'He has all qualities,' Kumar Sangakkara makes BOLD claim for Hardik Pandya as new captain of India

Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkarra opines that transition period in an international team like India is difficult but quality all-rounder Hardik Pandya makes the case easier for the Men in Blue. The Indian cricket team is set to play six white ball games against Sri Lanka in January 2023 and the squad missing names like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul is an indication that the team will undergo transition in the shorter-format keeping the 2024 T20 World Cup in mind.

The white ball series against Sri Lanka are set to begin to January 3 in which fans will see a new batting lineup with the likes of Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and more getting their chance in the side. ('You have to take tough calls,' Gautam Gambhir opines dropping Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma for T20 World Cup 2024)

"Transition is inevitable. You have to be always ready for it. But you need supporting players to come through the system for it to be effective smoothly," Sangakkara told PTI during an interaction organized by Star Sports.

"Every side goes through difficult transitions and we saw that in Australia. Saw that in NZ for considerable period some time back, even England. So you have all these sides go through transition and difficulty is a common theme," he added. 

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"India has a throng of young players coming through so it is just about the selecting the best among them and giving them a longer run," Sangakkara opined.

Talking about Pandya, Sangakkara surely felt he is the man for the job. He was keen to address the qualities as a leader and cricketer Hardik possesses having watched him from the Rajasthan Royals bench when Pandya led the Gujarat Titans to their maiden IPL title in their debut season.

"There is no doubt that his leadership is excellent and we all saw that in IPL. Now he has to melt that with on-field captaincy at national level. He has all qualities to be a leader although you don’t necessarily need to be a captain to be a leader."