Young India batter Nitish Reddy who recently got his India call-up during the recently concluded three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe revealed that Hardik Pandya texted him during his World Cup duties to praise his intent and energy towards the game. Reddy was the standout performer in the last season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), scoring 303 runs for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their road to the final.
However, Nitish was unable to play in Indian colours because of a hernia niggle. SRH batter said he was surprised after receiving a message from Hardik Pandya amid his busy T20 World Cup schedule.
"Hardik bhai sent me a message saying the intent and energy I was giving on the field was good and to keep respecting the game. He said we would talk soon. I was shocked to see his message after the IPL season, especially since he was busy with World Cup duties. Hardik Pandya and Ben Stokes are my inspirations for being an all-rounder. I replied, thanking him for his message," Reddy told ESPNCricinfo.
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On the other hand, Hardik was the vital cog for India during the T20 World Cup 2024 hosted by USA and West Indies earlier this year. The all-rounder scored 144 runs at a strike rate of over 150 and picked up 11 wickets in the marquee event. Hardik's game-changing performance came in the final against South Africa where he picked up Heinrich Klaasen's wicket who was smashing Indian bowlers all over the ground.
Hardik Pandya will now feature in the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka which is scheduled to start from July 29. Suryakumar Yadav will be seen leading the team and Hardik will feature as a player. Team India will play three T20Is followed by three ODIs against the Island nation where the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will make their ODI comeback and this will be the first assignment for India's newly appointed head coach Gautam Gambhir.
India's squad for T20 series against Sri Lanka:
Suryakumar Yadav (C), Ꮪhubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohd. Siraj.
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