As India gear up for the T20 World Cup 2022, starting next month in Australia, the management is counting highly on Hardik Pandya. The all-rounder was almost out of the management’s scheme of things following the team’s exit from the T20 World Cup in 2021. His acute back ache restricted him from bowling full throttle and that affected the balance of the side last year in the UAE.
But once Pandya got back home, he took himself away from the spotlight and decided to start from scratch. He landed in Bengaluru and underwent a thorough rehabilitation regime. And then came the IPL 2022 which saw a new version of him. A calm and collected Pandya was in action who wasn’t just scoring runs but also bowling his full quota of overs and picking up wickets.
Hardik Pandya managed to carry his sublime form since then, producing multiple match-winnings performances in the past 3-4 months. He has also been playing the role of a finisher very well and former Pakistan captain Shaheed is quite impressed with the Indian all-rounder.
During a chat show on Pakistani channel Sama TV, Afridi stated that Pakistan are lacking a finisher of Hardik Pandya’s abilities.
“We require a player like Hardik Pandya. A player who is reliable, who comes down the order, bowls crucial overs and finishes the match with the bat. Do you think there is any player in the Pakistan team who is taking responsibility for finishing the matches with the bat," said Afridi.
“We thought Asif Ali, and Khushdil will do the job but they haven’t. Nawaz is also not that consistent, and neither is Shadab. Among these four players, at least two need to be consistent. The period in which Shadab bowls is very crucial. The day he does a good job with the ball, Pakistan wins," he added.
Afridi further opined that Pakistan need to fill the gaps in their batting and bowling if they looking for a 2nd T20 World title.
“In the kind of pitches on which we are playing now, you need two genuine fast bowlers and one all-rounder. The new guy Jamal that we have picked, why don’t you play him? Play him as an all-rounder, make him bowl and then ask him to bat. You will get to know what type of cricketer he is. If Pakistan are dreaming to win the World Cup then they need to work a lot on their bowling and batting and minimize the mistakes that they have been committing in the last few matches," Afridi concluded.
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