Former Team India batter Suresh Raina feels Hardik Pandya should be appointed Team India’s next One-Day International (ODI) captain. Following Shubman Gill’s exceptional leadership in the Anderson-Tendulkar
Trophy 2025, ex-India players are supporting Gill to become India’s next skipper in the 50-over format but Raina feels Pandya will be more effective as a captain in ODIs. Pandya has proven his leadership prowess in the Indian Premier League (IPL), guiding his former team Gujarat Titans (GT) to the title in 2022.
Suresh Raina, appearing on Shubankar Mishra’s YouTube podcast, said Pandya reminds him of former India skipper MS Dhoni. He drew parallels between Pandya and Kapil Dev, saying that the former contributes to India the same way as the latter used to for the team during his playing days. “Shubman Gill any day, the way they decide but I think Hardik Pandya will do a lot of miracles in white-ball cricket as a captain. Even Shubman Gill can be that guy. Hopefully, he [Hardik] should become captain again. He has experience like Kapil Paji whether it’s batting, bowling or fielding. And he’s a very very positive guy. The way he has performed, he is a captain for the players. I see him as a glimpse of MS Dhoni in him, the way he interact and conduct on the ground, the energy, I like the most,” remarked Raina.
Suresh Raina picks Vaibhav Suryavanshi over Ayush Mhatre for early Team India debut
During the podcast, interviewer Shubhankar also asked Raina that between Ayush Mhatre and Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who will make the debut first between them? Responding to the question, Raina picked Suryavanshi. “He has a unique fearless approach. Mhatre is excellent as well but Vaibhav has an X-factor which is rarely found. He scored a ton in England recently. In the IPL (2025), which he smashed a century, proves that this Bihar-born player is going to outclass everyone,” added Raina.
Vaibhav Suryavansh, playing his third game of his IPL career, notched up a 35-ball hundred against Gujarat Titans (GT) in Jaipur and became the batter with the second-fastest ton in the league. Raina witnessed the phenomenal knock from the 14-year-old closely as he was doing Hindi commentary in the game.
