Hardik Pandya is surely one of the leading all-rounders for India and in the world at the moment. Ever since breaking into the national side, Pandya has consistently chiseled himself into that all-rounder who can deliver with both bat and ball consistently. The Indian vice-captain’s journey might have been marred by injuries in the past but one cannot count out Pandya simply due to those circumstances.
Pandya was confirmed as Rohit Sharma’s deputy for the T20 World Cup, a day after reports emerged that Rishabh Pant was a frontrunner along with Pandya in the race for vice-captaincy. After a poor season of IPL 2024, where Pandya has been targeted both on field and off field, the focus now shifts on to how he will fare at the big stage.
What Hardik Pandya brings to the table?
Hardik Pandya‘s journey in the shortest format began 8 years ago in 2016 when he broke into the Indian team after a stellar IPL run. Since then, in 92 games, he has amassed 1348 runs at a strike rate of 139.83, most of them coming from his batting in the middle-order. The bowler Pandya in T20Is is equally impressive. He has 73 wickets to his name in the shortest format of the game.
Pandya’s experience, backed by the stats, makes him one of the crucial pieces for India at the World Cup. At a time when India is reeling under the absence of Shami, HP could be the vital bowling option that the side needs. His inclusion in the XI will boost the bowling department and will act as the perfect reinforcement for Bumrah, Arshdeep and Siraj. India will surely need another bowler apart from the trio to complete their quota of 4 overs effectively.
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Hardik Pandya and captaincy
Hardik Pandya is also an experienced skipper. It wasn’t ling ago that Hardik was designated as India’s T20I skipper but had to sit out owing to injuries. Not to forget, he has also led his previous franchise Gujarat Titans to two consecutive IPL finals and one title win, that too in their inaugural year.
In the absence of Pandya, a lot of stars were handed the reigns of the T20I side including KL Rahul, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav. With HP making his comeback only in IPL 2024 – two months before the WC – Rohit Sharma took over the captaincy while the former is named as his deputy.
What’s wierd here is the obvious fact that there will be a role reversal between Pandya and the Hitman when they move from the IPL to WC. Regardless, Pandya’s experience as both player and skipper will come into play at the World Cup.
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