Hardik Pandya placed on the same pedestal as 2011 Yuvraj Singh by former Indian pacer

Former India fast bowler S Sreesanth has compared Hardik Pandya's all-round capabilities with legendary India cricketer Yuvraj Singh after his exploits in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.

Hardik Pandya is having a good time in the tournament with both bat and ball. The allrounder has smashed 116 runs at an average of 58 and a strike rate of 145 with the bat.

Pandya has been equally impressive with the ball where he has taken 8 wickets in six matches at an average of 19.62 an economy rate of 7.47. He was the Player of the Match against Bangladesh, where he scored a vital half-century and picked up a wicket as well.

Even in India's last Super 8 match against Australia, Pandya scored a crucial 27 off 17 balls to provide a late flourish. His bowling has been extremely handy for India, who have an extra cushion to play three spinners in the line-up now. Along with Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, Hardik Pandya has been playing the role of third seamer to perfection.

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Sreesanth compares Hardik Pandya with Yuvraj Singh

While speaking to Star Sports, S Sreesanth made a huge claim when he said that Hardik Pandya can play a similar role that Yuvraj Singh played for India in the 2011 World Cup. He backed Hardik to play the role for his team and also hoped for Rohit Sharma to lift the trophy this time around.

"The last conference where he (Rohit Sharma) said Hardik Pandya is a key player in the team. What Yuvraj Singh did in the 2011 as an all-rounder, with bat, with ball and his fielding, I think Hardik is very much capable of doing that in this T20 World Cup. I think none of us will be surprised if Rohit lifts the trophy," Sreesanth opined.

Yuvraj Singh was adjudged Player of the Tournament in the ODI World Cup 2011 for his spectacular performances with bat and ball, which helped India lift a World Cup title after 28 years. 

A difficult time for Hardik Pandya in IPL 2024

There were questions over Hardik Pandya's selection in India's squad for the T20 World Cup 2024 after he had a poor season in IPL 2024. He was severely targeted by the fans for replacing Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians captain.

Before this season, he was with Gujarat Titans where he led them to a winner and a runners-up title in two years. In IPL 2024, Hardik scored 216 runs at an average of 18 and picked up 11 wickets at an average of 35.18.

Not only with bat and ball, he had a poor season with Mumbai Indians as their captain as well. Under his leadership, Mumbai Indians finished last in IPL 2024 and had one of the worst seasons in their history.

But the Indian vice-captain has shown in this T20 World Cup that whenever he plays for India, he is a different beast altogether.