Former India fast bowler S Sreesanth has compared Hardik Pandya’s all-round capabilities to legendary Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh after his exploits in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.
Hardik Pandya is having a good time in the tournament with both bat and ball. The all-rounder has scored 116 runs at an average of 58 and a strike rate of 145 with the bat.
Pandya has been equally impressive with the ball, where he has taken 8 wickets in six matches at an average of 19.62 and an economy rate of 7.47. He was the Man of the Match against Bangladesh, where he scored a vital half-century and also got a wicket.
Even in India’s last Super 8 match against Australia, Pandya scored 27 off 17 crucial balls to provide a late touch. His bowling has been extremely useful for India, who now have an extra cushion to play with three spinners in the lineup. Along with Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, Hardik Pandya has played the third seamer’s role to perfection.
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Sreesanth compares Hardik Pandya to Yuvraj Singh
While talking to Star Sports, S Sreesanth made a big statement when he said that Hardik Pandya can play a role similar to what Yuvraj Singh played for India in the 2011 World Cup. He supported Hardik to play the role for his team and also expected Rohit Sharma to lift the trophy this time.
“The last conference where he (Rohit Sharma) said that Hardik Pandya is a key player in the team. What Yuvraj Singh did in 2011 as an all-rounder, with bat, ball and fielding, I think Hardik is very capable. to do that in this T20 World Cup, I think none of us will be surprised if Rohit lifts the trophy,” opined Sreesanth.
Yuvraj Singh was named Player of the Tournament in the 2011 ODI World Cup for his spectacular performances with bat and ball, which helped India lift a World Cup title after 28 years.
A difficult time for Hardik Pandya in IPL 2024
There were doubts over Hardik Pandya’s selection in India’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2024 after he had a poor season in IPL 2024. Fans severely attacked him for replacing Rohit Sharma as captain of the Mumbai Indians.
Before this season, he was with Gujarat Titans, where he led them to a title-winning and runner-up title in two years. In IPL 2024, Hardik scored 216 runs at an average of 18 and picked up 11 wickets at an average of 35.18.
Not just with bat and ball, but he also had a poor season with Mumbai Indians as captain. Under his leadership, Mumbai Indians finished last in IPL 2024 and had one of the worst seasons in their history.
But the Indian vice-captain has shown in this T20 World Cup that whenever he plays for India, he is a completely different beast.
