Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has backed Hardik Pandya to do something special at the T20 World Cup. Pandya, who recently led Mumbai Indians in IPL 2024, could not deliver the goods for the franchise after returning from an injury.
Pandya scored 216 runs in 13 innings at an average of 18 and a strike rate of 141.03. Furthermore, Pandya scalped 11 wickets in 12 innings at an average of 35.18 and an economy rate of 10.75.
Furthermore, Pandya was booed badly by the Ahmedabad as well as the Mumbai crowd at the start of the IPL.
“Well, the good thing is that the selection has been made. (Selectors see) how players have performed at international cricket and then they look at IPL form. Just not the IPL form,” said Yuvraj while talking to the PTI.
“Because if you look at the IPL form, Hardik’s not done well. Looking at his background for India, what he’s done for India, it is important that he’s in the squad. I think his bowling is going to be important, and his fitness is going to be important. And I think he might do something really special in this World Cup.”
Yuvraj picked Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav to be India’s top four in the T20I showpiece.
“I think Rohit (Sharma) and (Yashasvi) Jaiswal should definitely open,” Yuvraj said. “Virat (Kohli) has been batting at No.3 and that’s his position. And then you get Surya (Yadav) at four, and then you got a couple of big options.”
“I’d like to see a couple of left-hand, right-hand combinations because it is harder to bowl at two combinations all the time.”
India will begin their T20 World Cup against Ireland on June 5.
