NEWS
Follow UsHardik Pandya, who will be captaining team India in the two-match T20I series against Ireland starting Sunday (June 26), attested that the team will approach the games against the Irish with the same intensity as the other big matches, and assured that there will be no complacency from India’s end.
With several first-team members missing, team India will be fielding somewhat of a second-string XI in the two T20Is in Dublin, but speaking ahead of the first game of the series, Pandya stated that he and his players will bring their ‘A’ game against Ireland and will aim to keep the intensity extremely high.
The primary objective of the team, Pandya said, will be to focus on its own goals.
"It's a challenge mentally, it is easier to say that we are playing against Ireland but playing for India is the biggest pride. If we want to win the World Cup, every match from here is important for us to reach the World Cup final. The first thing I said to all is that it doesn't matter whom we are playing, we need to focus on our own things,” Pandya said on Saturday, on the eve of the first T20I.
"We keep the same intensity we generally keep even if we are playing the World Cup or a big series. Again it comes down to mental strength, how better you can get because it's not easy in two matches getting yourself on but at the same time we are playing for India and we have to be on our A game which we will.
"The discussion between me and the coach is simple -- approach the game as you do in any other game for India."
Along the same lines, the stand-in skipper said that the team management might give opportunities to some young players, but not at the cost of a strong playing XI. Arshdeep Singh, Rahul Tripathi and Umran Malik are individuals who would be eyeing to get a national cap in one of the two matches.
"We want to give opportunities but at the same time we want to play with our best XI. So there will be a couple of caps given but at the same time it is about making sure that when we go on the field we have the best XI."
KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja, all guaranteed starters come the T20 World Cup, will be taking no part in the two-match series owing to it clashing with the one-off Test against England. But the Men in Blue will still enter the series as overwhelming favorites thanks to the ludicrous strength in depth the country possesses in white-ball cricket.
Pandya spoke highly of the mind-boggling bench-strength and asserted that the country is ‘very lucky’ to have a talent pool so wide that multiple teams can be fielded at once, without compromising too much in quality.
"If such a situation arises that we have to send two teams, we are very lucky that we have the bench strength where we can allow the players to go and express and a lot of people will get opportunities.
"There are so much talent in India that people don't get opportunities. Playing for India is always a dream and for them to achieve that dream will be really fantastic," he said.
"The way talent has come up and the character the players have shown and the way we played, it indicates India's bench strength. There are plenty of options right now in the Indian team.”
Eyebrows were raised when Pandya was named the skipper of the Gujarat Titans franchise prior to IPL 2022, but the all-rounder put all doubts about his captaincy credentials to bed by astonishingly leading the debutants to the title. Pandya thrived as a batter, bowler and captain, and his impressive showing as the GT skipper served as the primary reason for him being appointed captain for the forthcoming Ireland tour.
The 28-year-old described himself as someone who enjoys taking up responsibility, and revealed that responsibility tends to bring the best out of him.
"Earlier also, I liked taking up responsibility and now also it is the same but it is a bit more responsibility now. I always believed that I did better when I took responsibility," he said.
"If I can take ownership of my own things and take my own decisions, they tend to be strong. Cricket is such a game, staying strong during situations is very important.
"Always responsibility was given to me and I took it and that's why I became better. While captaining I will see how I can give the same responsibility to every player and give them the ability to fight with situations," he added.
Pandya revealed that he has taken a lot from the captains he has played under and described himself as a skipper that does not rely on instinct and rather prefers to take decisions by assessing the situation.
"Obviously I have taken a lot of things from them (Dhoni and Kohli) but at the same time I also want to be myself, obviously my understanding of the game is different but I have taken a lot of good vibes from them.
"I am not instinctive but I see more situation than go on my gut. At what point of time, what decision the team requires, I focus on that rather than going on my gut. Gut always goes 50-50," he said.
"I have got an opportunity to lead India. It's in itself a big thing. I don't play the sport to show anyone anything, if I am good enough. I was always the same."
