Hardik Pandya will add value to the Indian Test team: Lalchand Rajput

It was a surprise to see Suryakumar Yadav pip Hardik Pandya to become India's new T20 International (T20I) captain. Pandya has gone through plenty of injuries, and according to chief selector Ajit Agarkar, was one of the main reasons behind not appointing Pandya. As a result, he has remained absent from the red-ball format, having last turned up for India in Tests in 2018.

However, former India batter Lalchand Rajput believes that Pandya will add a lot of value to the Test team. “I would love to see him in the red-ball cricket. He is a player who can change the course of the game in all three departments,” Rajput told Hindustan Times.

“If he could do well in red-ball cricket, that would add value to the team. He's an all-rounder who can come at no.6 and also bowl a couple of overs."

Rajput also understands the decision taken, which he believes is at the behest of the team. He believes playing just as a player will bring out the best in Pandya, as that allows him to focus solely on his batting and bowling. He bounced back from a poor Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season with Mumbai Indians (MI), scoring nearly 150 runs and picking up 11 wickets at the T20 World Cup, which India ended up winning.

"I think the selectors must have thought in the line with coach, too. The management wants Hardik Pandya to do well. If they release him from captaincy, he can play freely and give his best performance with bat and ball,” Rajput, who is currently the head coach of Surrey Jaguars in the Global T20 Canada, said.

“I heard the press conference of Ajit Agarkar, he said most of the time he was unfit. They need a captain who is fit to play all the games. That must have tilted the favour towards Suryakumar Yadav. SKY has also been a captain of the Mumbai Ranji team and started early in the T20 format. He will lead the team in the best possible way."

While Rahul Dravid had a quiet demeanour, Gautam Gambhir would be the exact opposite as he would not be afraid to express his views, however blunt they may be.

"Every coach has got a different style of functioning. Rahul was quiet, but Gambhir is a very straightforward person; he's passionate and hates losing. He will inculcate that among the players. You saw that in the KKR team, they came from nowhere to win convincingly. Hopefully, he would inspire the Indian team in the same way,” Rajput, a veteran of two Tests and four ODIs, said.

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