New Delhi: India all-rounder Hardik Pandya on Tuesday said that he likes to take responsibility and is looking forward to the challenge of leading Ahmedabad franchise in the IPL 2022.
The Ahmedabad franchise, which was bought by CVC Capital Partners, have picked Rashid Khan and Shubman Gill alongside Pandya ahead of the mega auction.
The 28-year-old Hardik, who has only played for Mumbai Indians till now, will be leading an IPL franchise for the first time. However, he is confident of implementing the knowledge which he has gained over the years and wants to be the big brother figure around the players in his team.
“There’s no manual for learning how to become a captain. 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,” Cricbuzz quoted Hardik as saying.
“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 always be available to them,” he added.
Hardik has played under the likes of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in IPL and for India.
Asked about what qualities he would pick from the three India captains, the star all-rounder said, “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 them here.”
With head coach Ashish Nehra and team mentor Gary Kirsten at the helm of affairs, the Gujrat-born cricketer wants his side to script new legacies.
“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,” said Pandya about his new journey.
(IANS)
