Hardik Pandya is calm and a players' captain, says India coach VVS Laxman

Wellington, November 17: Hardik Pandya has impressed one and all with his newfound maturity and calm approach on the field, and India head coach VVS Laxman was one among them.

Laxman, who is standing in for Rahul Dravid, who has given a rest for the series against New Zealand, said Hardik is a natural leader of men.

“He is a fabulous leader. We have seen what he has done with Gujarat Titans in the IPL. Taking leadership in the first year of the franchise in the tournament, and winning the league is not a mean achievement.

I have spent a lot of time with him since the Ireland series, he is just not only tactically sound, but he is very calm on the field and that is something which is very important at the highest level,” said Laxman in the pre-match press conference ahead of the first T20I against New Zealand at the SKY Stadium.

Laxman said the way Hardik deals with pressure is brilliant. “There would be situations when you would be under pressure and that is when you are required to be calm as a leader.

Also, his presence in the dressing room, and his work ethics are exemplary. The way he leads the side both on and off the field is fabulous.”

Laxman said the players are at ease around Hardik and they confide their worries or concerns to him.

“I think he is a players' captain, he is very approachable. All the players go up to him and confide with him.

I think that is something which I really like about Hardik, and he leads by example both on and off the field,” he said.

Laxman said the form of T20 cricket demands a lot of clarity of thought and fearlessness from players. The India coach added that that nature of T20 cricket demands the players to be flexible in their thinking and approach.

“I think T20 cricket requires playing with a lot of freedom and clarity of thought. And how much time I have spent with these guys and watching them grow over the years into wonderful international cricketers,

I think that is their strength. In T20 cricket, you are required to play with a fearless attitude but at the same time, it is important to assess the conditions and situations and fulfil the needs of the team.

“It is important to be flexible. I think in T20 cricket, you are required to express yourself and that is when you will be successful.

I think T20 cricket has shown us over the years that the more amount of multi-dimensional players you have, the better for the team. You have bowlers who can bat, and batters who can bowl, and that is the way forward.

“That has already been proven in T20 cricket, the more number of bowlers who can bat will add depth to the team and it allows a lot of freedom for the batters to express themselves.

That is the need for the format and I am sure more and more teams will try to get that into their selection process and identify players who are multi-dimensional players,” Laxman signed off.