India vs Ireland 1st T20: Sunil Gavaskar makes a BIG statement on Hardik Pandya, says 'he knows he has to...'

Hardik Pandya's transformation from being a reckless player who just had 'natural talent' to a mature captain is bring praised by one and all. Before IPL 2022 commenced, Hardik was being slammed for putting the cash-rich league ahead of India responsibilities. But post IPL, Hardik has been hailed for his maturity. The Indian all-rounder will soon be leading India in the upcoming T20s vs Ireland starting June 26. Former Indian cricketer and batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has now opened up on Hardik Pandya/s Version 2.0. Gavaskar, while speaking to Star Sports, said that Hardik has grown from someone who needed care in the team to being a caretaker.   

Captain Pandya is ready to conquer Ireland!@hardikpandya7 @BCCI @cricketireland #HardikPandya #INDvsIRE #TeamIndia #Cricket pic.twitter.com/FsKdHxH4Ao — Cricket Animations (@MyAnimation5) June 22, 2022

"It's good to see the maturity that has come in Hardik Pandya's batting, and his cricket overall. He has tempered his talent with that little bit of responsibility. Earlier on, when he played in a team full of superstars.. I mean, he grew up in the team of superstars, whether it was Mumbai Indians or India. And so, it was easy to go and say, "I will just play my game because these guys will take care of me. They will take up in case I fail'," said Gavaskar. 

"Now, as a captain, he knows his responsibility. He knows he has to take his team. And that has only improved him as a cricketer and that is only good for Indian cricket," Gavaskar further said. 

The BCCI selectors are looking at options ahead in terms of India captaincy. The likes of Hardik, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are being honed as the future leaders of Team India. KL Rahul was given the captaincy job for the 3 ODIs in South Africa. He was also to lead India in the 5 T20Is vs South Africa but he didn't due to an injury. Then Pant was made the India captain and he managed to level the series 2-2, after India trailed 0-2 in the series, showing immense maturity in leadership. It is now Hardik's turn to show his brilliant as a captain when he leads the team in the two-match series.