"First year is challenging for anyone" - Vijay Dahiya's huge statement on Team India star's captaincy during IPL 2025

Former Lucknow Super Giants assistant coach Vijay Dahiya has backed Rishabh Pant following his underwhelming season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The former cricketer added that any player requires some time to deliver after joining a new team, while pointing out that the Super Giants played several close games that didn’t go their way. While lauding Pant's captaincy skills, Dahiya credited him for finishing the season on a high with the bat.

The statement came as the Super Giants finished seventh in the IPL 2025 points table, managing only six wins in 14 games. With the bat, the southpaw scored 269 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 133.16 with the best score of 118* off 61 balls against eventual winners Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their last league game.

Speaking to SportsYaari’s YouTube channel, Vijay Dahiya said:

“6:12 – (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.”

“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.

Notably, LSG had bought Pant for a whopping INR 27 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction, making him the costliest player in the T20 league's history.

“Har chiz ki baal ki khaal nikali jati hai” – Vijay Dahiya’s sarcastic take against critics after the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy under the new India captain ended in a 2-2 draw

Vijay Dahiya took a dig at the critics while lauding Shubman Gill-led India for drawing the five-match Test series in England 2-2. The cricketer-turned-coach lauded Team India for their fighting-cum-winning mentality. He said in the same video:

“2:06 – (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?"

"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.

Notably, skipper Shubman Gill amassed 754 runs, including a double century and three tons, to emerge as the leading run-getter in the Test series. India came from behind to win the second and fifth Tests. The tourists also drew the fourth Test with their fighting display with the bat.