Home
Indian international cricket will return to action on June 9 when they take the field to face South Africa at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi in the first of their five T20Is in the series. While the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah are rested for the series, KL Rahul will lead the team with wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant as his deputy. The series also sees a return of all-rounder Hardik Pandya to the Indian squad for the first time since the ICC T20 World Cup in 2021.
The Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper, who led his team to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 trophy as debutants in the league, was the top-scorer for his side with 487 runs in 15 innings (fourth-highest overall). In the final, Pandya also pulled out a magnificent performance with the ball, registering figures of 3/17 in four overs.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri, who worked closely with Pandya during his stint with the national team, opened up on the all-rounder's return and insisted that he should only be playing in the shortest format until this year's T20 World Cup.
“He will walk back into that squad for me either as a batter or as an all-rounder. I don't think he is that badly injured where he cannot bowl you two overs. He has had ample rest and he will continue to have ample rest because that's the only format he should play going into the World Cup. They shouldn't take the risk of making him play ODI cricket,” Shastri said on a Star Sports show.
The cricket pundit further added that Pandya does the job of two players for the Indian team. “Massive, he does the job for two players. A Hardik Pandya playing just as a batter would mean he has to bat in the top four or five but Hardik Pandya playing as an all-rounder, he can bat at five, six or four and still bowl those two-three overs for you,” said the former India head coach.
