Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has expressed his strong support for Hardik Pandya as India’s primary all-round option for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Despite a lackluster performance in IPL 2024, Hardik Pandya, the vice-captain of the Indian team, has joined the squad in the USA to begin preparations for the marquee tournament.
The Indian team, led by Rohit Sharma, has started their training camp in the USA and is set to play a warm-up game against India on June 1 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
Sanjay Manjrekar acknowledged Hardik Pandya’s poor run in the IPL but emphasized his past success in the T20 World Cup, particularly highlighting his performance in the 2022 edition. Sanjay Manjrekar pointed out Hardik Pandya’s crucial innings against England in the last T20 World Cup, where he scored 60 off 33 balls with a strike rate of 190.
“My vote will always go to Hardik Pandya. I know he had a pretty quiet IPL, but look back at the last T20 World Cup India played. In the last match against England at Adelaide, Hardik Pandya scored 60 off 33 balls with a strike rate of 190, after India had scored 62 in their first 10 overs,” Sanjay Manjrekar said on the Star Sports Press Room Show.
Sanjay Manjrekar also backed Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant over Shivam Dube, stressing the importance of players who excel on the big stage. “When it comes to T20 World Cups and marquee events, you back the players who excel on the big stage. For me, it will always be Hardik Pandya or Rishabh Pant ahead of people like Shivam Dube until we see Shivam Dube perform on the big stage,” he added.
Hardik Pandya is eager to return to the field in the Indian jersey after a nine-month hiatus due to an ankle injury sustained during India’s ODI World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh on October 19. Although he returned to competitive cricket as the captain of the Mumbai franchise in IPL 2024, his performance was underwhelming. Hardik Pandya managed only 216 runs and 11 wickets in 14 games, and Mumbai finished at the bottom of the table, becoming the first team to be knocked out of the playoffs race.
As the Indian team gears up for the T20 World Cup, all eyes will be on Hardik Pandya to see if he can replicate his past successes and contribute significantly to India’s campaign.
