Pandya Playing the Dhoni Role

Hardik Pandya all- round brilliance against New Zealand on Wednesday was as good a performance as that of any premiere all rounder of the past. His 17-ball 30 and a 40- ball 103- run stand with the Gill provided India with a flourish at the backend of the innings that saw them plunder 133 off the last 10 overs and 78 off the last five. 

While Pandya the T20 allrounder is at the top of his game, what has also been pleasing is the way he has taken to the T20 captaincy on a full- time basis. The team seems to be performing well under him and he looks like a leader who is not afraid to speak his mind. After the second match of T20 against Sri Lanka, he criticized left- arm seamer Arshdeep Singh for bowling five no- balls, neither did he mince words while terming the pitch at the Ekana stadium a "shocker".

Importantanly, at this stage of his carrier, Pandya is relishing the role of a finisher. He feels it is his responsibility to step into the great MS Dhoni's shoes. " Taking new opportunities or taking new roles is something I have always looked forward to. I don't mind coming in and playing the role which somewhere down the line Maahi used to play, "Pandya said. 

" I think at the time when I was young, and I was hitting all around the park, but now since Dhoni has gone, all of a sudden that responsibility it has just naturally come to me, and I don't mind doing it. We are getting the result we want and it's okay", added Pandya. His batting, the 29-year- old feels, has evolved from when he was a youngster who just loved hitting the ball as hard as he could. "To be honest, I have always enjoyed hitting sixes, but I have to evolve and that is life. I have to take the other part where I have always believed in partnerships. I want to give my team and the other persons more calmness and the assurance that at least I am there. I have played more games than any of those guys out there. " So I have the experience. I have learnt how to accept pressure... How to kind of make sure the team is calm", Pandya Said. 

"I had to bowl with the new ball in T20s because I don't want any new guy to come and have that difficult role of bowling first up with the new ball. If they are put under pressure, then we are chasing the game. I have always been leading from the front and I have been working on my new ball skills, which is helping me", Pandya said.