There's no manual how to become a captain: Hardik on leading Ahmedabad

Indian allrounder Hardik Pandya said that his main aim is to excel as an allrounder rather than just a batter as he spoke about his vision as the captain for the Ahmedabad franchise. The new Indian Premier League franchise last week announced the Baroda allrounder as its captain while naming Rashid Khan and Shubman Gill as their draft picks.

"We are starting from scratch and I feel we can create new legacies, we can create new cultures which I want to endorse. It's going to be a very exciting time," Pandya said.

Pandya, who underwent a surgery to his lower back last year, had stayed away from bowling for the most part during the second leg of IPL 2021, but expressed his eagerness to contribute with the ball.

"It's been challenging. I've always been someone who contributes with the bat, ball and on the field. When I decided I will just bat, I wanted to spend some time on the ground. We all love challenges and I love to fight it out. Criticism is good and it doesn't really bother me. For me, results do matter but I work hard for the process," he said.

"I've always realised that as an allrounder I give a lot of different options to the team. I'll try to work on being an allrounder and if something doesn't work out then my batting is always there. But Hardik Pandya combined with both bat and ball, it sounds better than just a batter," he added.

Pandya also spoke about his leadership philosophy as he named three qualities he would like to pick from the captains he had played under.

"From Virat, I would pick his aggression, passion and energy, which is tremendous. With Mahi bhai, I would pick the composed nature. From Rohit, I'll let the players decide what they want to do. These three qualities I'll take from them and bring here," he said.

He further added: "There's no manual of learning how to become a captain," he started. "I've always been a person who likes to take responsibility and I am looking forward to the challenge. As a captain, I want to ensure all the players have enough time from me. That's what I've learnt and I'll make sure my doors will always be open for them."

"When someone is doing well, they don't need anyone. When someone is having a bad day, that's when they need you. As a captain, when someone is doing good, I will not bother them. When someone is down, I'll be always available to them."

Former Indian pacer Ashish Nehra will be the head coach of the Ahmedabad franchise while 2011 World Cup-winning coach Gary Kirsten will be the team mentor.