Hardik Pandya’s form before the T20 World Cup 2024 is a major concern for India. His batting, bowling, and captaincy have all been underwhelming. After returning to cricket after 5 months, his performances have been iffy. His poor returns could be a result of several factors. Lack of game time, constant scrutiny from fans and experts, and perhaps some tension inside the dressing room could have resulted in what has been a forgetful season for him.
Dropping Hardik Pandya for T20 World Cup 2024?
As he struggles, some have suggested that he shouldn’t have been a part of India’s 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup 2024, and Rinku Singh could have been picked over him. Meanwhile, BCCI selectors have elected him as Rohit Sharma’s deputy.
Some may disagree, but despite his shoddy form, there is no better pace bowling all-rounder in the world than Hardik Pandya. Andre Russell may come close, but he hardly ever bowls more than a couple of overs and knows only one style of play: my way or the highway. Certainly, in India, there is no better player than him.
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No one close to Hardik Pandya, the all-rounder
In the ongoing IPL 2024 season, there are seven Indian pace-bowling all-rounders, most of whom have already represented India in T20Is. But no one really comes close to Hardik Pandya. Despite his poor form, he has more wickets than the rest of them combined. His batting hasn’t been up to par, but he’s still scored nearly 200 runs and has a couple of matches to improve that as well.
Shivam Dube has bowled just one over, but he’s primarily been playing as a middle-order batter. Shardul Thakur has bowled 17.4 overs, has just 2 wickets, and hasn’t batted once. Nitish Reddy has by far been the most impressive, but he’s still young and has a long way to go as a T20 bowler. But he’s by far the closest competition Pandya has had this season.
Vijay Shankar and Venkatesh Iyer have had a poor season with the bat, and they haven’t bowled a single ball so far. For all the talk of not taking Hardik Pandya to the T20 World Cup 2024, you can’t find his replacement in the best T20 league in the world.
| Player | Mat | Runs | Avg | SR | Wkts | Econ | Avg | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardik Pandya | 11 | 198 | 19.8 | 147.76 | 8 | 11 | 37.12 | 11 |
| Shivam Dube | 10 | 350 | 50 | 171.56 | 1 | 14 | 14 | 6 |
| Shardul Thakur | 5 | – | – | – | 2 | 10.13 | 89.5 | 53 |
| Nitish Reddy | 7 | 219 | 54.75 | 154.22 | 3 | 9.76 | 23.33 | 14.33 |
| Vijay Shankar | 7 | 83 | 16.6 | 115.27 | – | – | – | – |
| Venkatesh Iyer | 10 | 224 | 32 | 142.67 | – | – | – | – |
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