Watch: Yuzvendra Chahal, VVS Laxman and Bhuvneshwar Kumar showers praise on Hardik Pandya's captaincy

Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Source: Twitter)

The ‘Men-in-Blue’ are in New Zealand to play the T20I and ODI series against the Kiwis. In the absence of senior players, Hardik Pandya has been once again given the opportunity of leading the T20I side. Having won the Indian T20 League as a captain earlier this year, Pandya is no stranger to handling the responsibility of a captain. As India prepared themselves for an action-packed series, coach VVS Laxman, wrist spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar had words of praise for Pandya’s captaincy.

In a video released by the official streaming platform of the series, Laxman stated that the all-rounder is very approachable and leads by example.

“He’s a player’s captain. He’s very approachable. He behaves like a brother on the field. He leads by example both on and off the field. I’ve spent time with him from the Ireland series, he’s tactically good. His work ethic is exemplary,” said Laxman.

Chahal said that the Gujarat franchise skipper is a very cool person and backs all the youngsters.

“We can see that calmness in his captaincy He’s a very cool person. We can see that on social media and even when he is outdoors. He backs all the youngsters. There’s no pressure. He always discusses field settings and plans with the bowler,” said Chahal.

Watch the video here:

in case you were wondering what #TeamIndia thinks of Captain Pandya, keep watching & find out! 🙌📹#NZvINDonPrime #CricketOnPrime #NZvIND pic.twitter.com/8yvdSsxXAK

— prime video IN (@PrimeVideoIN) November 20, 2022

He always understands the challenges faced as a bowler : Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar said that all-rounder understands the challenges faced by a bowler and is very supportive.

“He’s an all-rounder himself and he understands what bowlers and batters need to do. He always understands the challenges faced as a bowler and in that sense, he’s always very supportive. As a captain whatever he has done, it’s been impressive. Especially the stint with Gujarat in Indian T20 League 2022. Recently, he captained the team in the Ireland series successfully and I hope that he does well here and wins the series,” said Kumar.

This will be Pandya’s second stint as captain in international cricket. He has earlier led India to a 2-0 series win against Ireland in T20Is. India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series on Sunday after beating the kiwis by 65 runs. Suryakumar Yadav was awarded ‘Player of the Match’ for his breath-taking 111 off 51 balls.