Former Indian fast bowler S. Sreesanth believes that Hardik Pandya might play a role similar to Yuvraj Singh’s during India’s 2011 ODI World Cup victory in the current 2024 T20 World Cup. Sreesanth praised Hardik’s skills as both a batsman and a bowler, which he thinks are crucial for India to achieve their long-awaited success in the tournament. He also mentioned captain Rohit Sharma’s remarks after their match against Australia. After facing criticism following a difficult IPL 2024 season, Hardik has responded strongly by frequently being a key player in India’s victories in the T20 World Cup.
Hardik Pandya has faced a lot of negative comments and criticism from fans and former cricket stars since he became the captain of MI in IPL 2024, replacing Rohit Sharma. Unfortunately, MI ended up last in the IPL 2024 points table during Hardik’s captaincy. Despite this, the 30-year-old has shown a strong return to form by performing well with both his batting and bowling for India in the T20 World Cup. He has taken 8 wickets and scored 116 important runs in all of India’s six matches in the tournament.
Sreesanth talked to Star Sports and said that India is really counting on Hardik Pandya to do well for the rest of their games.
“In the last meeting, Rohit Sharma mentioned that Hardik Pandya is a very important player for the team. Just like Yuvraj Singh did in the 2011 World Cup as an all-rounder, performing with both bat and ball, and in the field, I believe Hardik can do the same in this T20 World Cup. I don’t think any of us will be surprised if Rohit ends up winning the trophy,” Sreesanth explained.
Hardik’s quick and not-out score of 27 runs from 17 balls was very important in India’s big win against their main rivals, Australia, on June 24. This win helped India secure their place in the T20 World Cup semi-final against England on June 27.
