"He's built partnerships with MS Dhoni" - Sanjay Bangar names the most versatile Indian player
Hardik Pandya made a fantastic comeback to cricket in the recently ended IPL 2022, when he played with responsibility up the order for Gujarat Titans, scoring large runs and picking up wickets. His outstanding performance earned him a call-up to the Indian national team for the first time since the T20 World Cup in 2021.
While batting first, he scored an unbeaten 31 runs off just 12 balls, leading India to a total of 211 runs. The bowlers, including Hardik, were unable to defend this massive score, as unbeaten fifties from Rassie van der Dussen and David Miller lead the Proteas to a seven-wicket victory with five balls to spare.
Sanjay Bangar on a show in Star Sports said that Hardik can bat at 4 and also finish the games while chasing a target. He said Hardik Pandya has the versatility to do that and he has worked well on his foundation.
Hardik's ability to finish games, which he has gained from his many partnerships with former India skipper MS Dhoni, was also praised by the former India batter. It was well known that Hardik spends some quality time with MS Dhoni although they play for different franchises. Hardik Pandya always sees MS Dhoni as a mentor.
With the T20 World Cup soon around the corner it is very useful for team India to get Hardik Pandya back with his full fitness. We all know all-rounders play a key role for a team in tournaments like the World Cup that too a batting all-rounder like Hardik Pandya. We all know Yuvraj Singh has won it for India in 2011 World Cup and in 2019 World Cup Ben Stokes won it for England. We all hope Hardik Pandya can do the same for India in this year’s T20 World Cup.