Hardik Pandya’s leadership was very impressive in IPL 2022: Rahul Dravid

Team India head coach Rahul Dravid on Tuesday said in a press conference that he was happy to have all-rounder Hardik Pandya back in the side and praised his leadership in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 where he lead debutants Gujarat Titans to the title.
The 49-year-old commended the captaincy of other Indian players in equal measure including the likes of KL Rahul and Sanju Samson. “It is great we have got a lot of Indian captains doing well in the IPL. Hardik was one of them, Rahul did very well for LSG, Sanju captained RR. Shreyas did it at KKR as well. It helps people grow and develop as players. It really helps you grow as a person also, having to make decisions. It is great from our perspective to see that,” Dravid added.
However, Dravid clarified that the focus will be on Pandya’s bowling and how it will benefit the team.
“At this point of time, it is really about from our perspective is that he has started bowling again. You know what that does to us, what depth it brings to the side. So for us really, it would be about ensuring we get the best out of him as a cricketer, in terms of his bowling, in terms of his batting,” Dravid said.Best of Express PremiumPremiumPremiumPremiumPremium

#INDvSA #INDvsSA#RahulDravid keeps a watch as #HardikPandya bowls pic.twitter.com/UV4gDKJni8
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Dravid also shared his thoughts on the workload management of players and stated that expecting players to be available for all matches would be unfair.
His comments come on the backdrop of regular captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah being rested from the upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa, beginning on Thursday.
Excerpts:
On Hardik’s leadership and if he is being seen as a leader in the team:
I just met Hardik a couple of hours ago. We had given him an extra day off, all the guys who played in the final. His leadership was very impressive. You don’t have to be designated as a leader to be a leader. From our perspective, it is good to have him back bowling. For us, it’s about getting the best out of him as a cricketer. The selectors will make their decisions based on how things go in the future. It was good to see a lot of young Indian leaders lead their teams in the IPL.
On top three bowlers and new ones’ workload:
It’s important to manage the workload of all the players. We have already rested a few of the players. We have done that in the past few series. This will continue for a little bit, hopefully, before the T20 WC we’ll be able to get everyone back on board.
It’s pleasing to have Hardik back. Been pleasing to watch him bat in the IPL as well. Without giving too much away, don’t want to give the batting order away before the match, sometimes the role you play for the franchise isn’t the same for the India team, at times they might be slightly different. The same is the case here.
On Rohit being rested too many times after being named captain across all three formats:
It’s not difficult at all. We are in touch with Rohit. Rahul has captained before. Rohit is one of our all-format players. It’s unrealic to expect that they play all games. We want them to rest and be ready for the big matches, big tournaments. With the one-off Test in the UK, we have tried to ensure we field our strong side for that Test. From my perspective, it is a good opportunity for youngsters (this series).
KL in the powerplay, coach’s idea on top three approaches for T20:
Any top three that play, what we want is a really good start from them based on what the wicket demands. There are high scoring games where you want to keep up the strike rate. There might be other games where the wickets can be more challenging. As I said their roles at franchise cricket might be different from what we give them here. But I’m confident they’ll step up in those respective roles.
Dravid also spoke on Dinesh Karthik’s inclusion and said, “With DK it’s very obvious and very clear, he’s made his comeback for the skills that he has shown playing in a particular phase of the game. He’s been picked to bat in that position.”
Speaking about the possibility of India creating the record of most T20I wins, Dravid said, “Honestly we haven’t thought of the record (13 T20I wins in a row). Nice to win games. We want to prepare well. We do realise we are up against a very strong SA side. A good chance for the players who didn’t play against them to Test themselves vs this side.”
Umran Malik, who impressed everybody together with his performances within the IPL, as he took 22 wickets for SunRisers Hyderabad and clocked the second-fastest supply of the season at 157kmph also drew the attention of the Indian captain.  “He (Umran) was exciting. Certainly bowled quick. That was another exciting thing for me in the IPL: watching the Indian bowlers bowl quickly. I hope as a coach it gets translated to other formats. He’s obviously learning, and growing. Would be interesting to see how much time we can give him. I’m certainly someone who likes to give players consency. Arshdeep is another exciting guy who’s brilliant as well.
On Kuldeep Yadav, if he is the kind of guy who needs confidence/backing:
Every one of us life they need that confidence and every one of us in life will thrive given that confidence. It’s easy to say, you don’t get guarantee in sports. Nice to have Kuldeep back. He has been a terrific performer.