"First year is challenging for anyone" - Vijay Dahiya shares assessment of India star's captaincy during IPL 2025

Vijay-Dahiya. (Photo Source: Instagram/Vijay-Dahiya)

Former India wicketkeeper-batter Vijay Dahiya backed Rishabh Pant to learn from his experience as a leader during Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) disappointing campaign in IPL 2025 and bounce back strongly in the upcoming season.

Pant was roped in by LSG for INR 27 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction. He became the highest-paid player in the history of the cash-rich league. The wicketkeeper-batter was subsequently appointed as the captain of the franchise. However, the Super Giants could only finish at No. 7 on the points table under Pant's leadership. The Delhi cricketer also had a forgettable outing with the bat, scoring just 269 runs from 14 matches at an average of 24.45. This includes a century in LSG's final match of the season.

Dahiya mentioned that LSG lost some close matches in the season. He also mentioned how difficult it is for a player to enter a new setup and bring instant results as a captain.

“(On Pant) First year is challenging for anyone from the captaincy point of view. It’s not easy to do captaincy, and there are some results that could’ve gone in our favor. There were close matches; if they had gone our way, then the decision might have been completely different. It’s a result-oriented game; how the teams perform and the captain’s performance are seen from where you have ended," the former LSG assistant coach said while speaking on SportsYaari's YouTube channel.

“He is being groomed as captain, and he has the ability required for captaincy. It’s just a word. I think he’s a leader; he can bring people together. Obviously, there is pressure when you enter a new setup… Personally, he finished the season on a good note, scoring a 100. He can start the next season from there,” he added.

This doesn’t just show the skillset but also shows the mentality of the dressing room: Dahiya

Dahiya took a subtle dig at the critics while praising Shubman Gill-led India's performance in the recently-concluded five-match Test series against England, which ended in a 2-2 draw.

“(On Gill’s captaincy) In the third [fourth Test in Manchester], you almost batted 1.5 days to save the Test match. And then you win the last Test to settle for a draw. This doesn’t just show the skillset but also shows the mentality of the dressing room. Anything takes time, and it takes the most for a change in mentality, what kind of cricket you want to play. What kind of culture do you want to create?" Dahiya asked.

"Whoever has seen that, India has a lot of experts, so har chiz ki baal ki khaal nikali jaati hai (they pull the hair out of the skin). If you look at world cricket and the experts and the series, they also think it was brilliant,” he concluded.