Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has shared his views on his experience of captaining Team India. Notably, Pandya’s maiden stint as captain came in 2022 when he led India in a T20I against Ireland in Dublin.
However, Hardik later went on to lead the Indian national team in ODIs against Australia in 2023. Speaking exclusively in a conversation on SGTV, Hardik asserted that he never played for the captaincy tag and believed in his ability to lead the team without being the captain of the side as well.
“When it comes to leadership, I never doubted myself. I don’t play for roles or say in my name. It was always about knowing that I am a leader, knowing that I have the power and presence in any team that I play, where all 11 will follow me if I ask them. I always believed that you don’t need to be a captain to be a leader. You can be a leader as a player as well,” Hardik Pandya said during a conversation on SGTV.
For the unversed, Hardik Pandya has captained Team India in 19 games. In 16 T20Is, he has accumulated 10 victories, five losses and a no-result fixture. On the other hand, in three ODIs, he has two wins and a loss.
“Very fortunate and grateful. I never played for that. But it’s a dream of everyone who starts the journey to just play for India, but captaining is another honour. But that feeling was only for five minutes. After that, it was about thinking what we can do better. I loved the moment for five minutes and cherished it. I don’t keep all these things too close, as it can go anytime,” he added.
Hardik is currently out of cricketing action after suffering a low-grade quadricep strain and leg sprain in June 2026.
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