India’s squad selection for the upcoming T20 World Cup has sparked widespread discussions in the Indian cricket community. While numerous experts are expressing concerns over Rinku Singh’s omission, there are also queries regarding the selection of all-rounder Hardik Pandya and his role as vice-captain for the team.
Pandya has taken on the role of captaincy for the Mumbai Indians (MI) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, but the team is going through a tough season and they are almost out of the race for playoffs.
Despite being five-time champions, MI finds itself at the bottom of the points table, having lost 8 out of 11 games. Furthermore, Pandya’s performance has not met his usual standards. In 11 matches, Pandya has only managed to score 198 runs and got 8 wickets.
However, even after an average IPL season, some experts believe that Pandya has the potential to make a significant impact for India in the World Cup as an all-rounder.
Former India selector MSK Prasad has lent his support to Hardik Pandya and has said that there is currently no other all-rounder in the country who is better than him.
“don’t think there is a second thought on Hardik’s inclusion and also being made the vice-captain of the side. He was given the mantle of captaincy when Rohit was not there. So that indicated that he was next in line for leadership. The selectors made the right decision by picking him.”
“Tell me who in the country now is a better fast bowling all-rounder than Hardik? Yes, he has been struggling with his form in recent times. But let us be fair as well, there is so much that has happened. The change of leadership in Mumbai, unfortunately, has affected his form as well.”
