The Indian Premier is all set to commence from March 26 with the first match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Former India head coach Ravi Shastri is of the opinion that the whole country will be closely watching Hardik Panya and what he does.
The Indian Premier League‘s 15th edition is just days away from getting underway. The first match of IPL 2022 will be played on March 26 between Kolkata Knight Riders and defending champions Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. This year’s IPL will see ten teams battle it out for the trophy as Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Supergiants make their debut. With CSK starting as favourites alongside five-time champions Mumbai Indians it will be interesting to see how Gujarat fares under Hardik Pandya who will be captaining a team for the first time in the IPL.
Hardik Pandya has been out of action for quite some time due to his injury concerns and has not played any competitive cricket since November 2021. The India all-rounder’s fitness has been a hot topic of debate and fans and former cricketers have often questioned the reason behind him not bowling regularly.
Former India coach Ravi Shastri is of the opinion that all eyes will be on Hardik Pandya this season and people will be closely watching what he does. During a press conference organised by Star Sports, Ravi Shastri said, “The whole country would be very closely watching Hardik Pandya in the IPL, we all know what he is capable of. Like Hardik, there will be a lot of other players who are knocking at the doors of the Indian team”.
The former India coach also added that India could potentially find Rohit Sharma‘s successor in the upcoming season who can lead India in the future.
“Virat is not captaining anymore, but Rohit has also been outstanding, especially in white ball. India will be looking at who will be captaining the team (in future) – there is Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul. India will be looking for a solid captain for the future and here is the opportunity That is the beauty of the IPL, last IPL we saw Venkatesh Iyer, no one had heard of him and by the time it got over he was in Indian team. So, you expect the unexpected” Ravi Shastri said.
