IND vs BAN: "Hardik Pandya doesn't play a lot of cricket and that's a worry.."- Sourav Ganguly picks out holes
Published - 01 Jun 2024, 11:23 AM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:12 AM
Former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly recently opened up about the form of Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the USA. Sourav Ganguly expressed confidence in Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya to deliver in the upcoming ICC tournaments, starting on June 1.
India is in Group A, alongside Pakistan, the USA, Ireland, and Canada, for the T20 World Cup. The Rohit Sharma-led team will face Ireland in their first match at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Wednesday, June 5. Notably, Team India will play all four group-stage matches in the USA.
Rohit Sharma Is A Great Of The Game - Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly stated that he is not concerned about Rohit Sharma's form ahead of the upcoming tournament. The former Indian skipper highlighted Rohit's past performances, especially in the ODI World Cup. Ganguly said that he is confident Rohit will perform well again in the T20 World Cup.
"No, I am not worried. Rohit is a great of the game, and if you see what he did in the 50-over World Cup, I am confident he will do that again. At this level, form is about a couple of games when you have that kind of quality. So, I am not worried about Rohit. He has scored runs across the world and has played a lot of cricket and will surely do the job expected of him," Ganguly told Revsportz.
Hardik Pandya Doesn't Play That Much Cricket - Sourav Ganguly
Sourav Ganguly expressed concerns about Hardik Pandya's limited game time. The 51-year-old emphasized the importance of Pandya playing regularly to regain form and perform well.
"Hardik is different because he doesn’t play that much cricket, and that’s a worry. I want him to consistently play cricket, for only then can he hit a rich vein of form. I would want him to do so, and it can only happen if he plays a lot more cricket," Gangly added.
Hardik Pandya failed to make an impact both as a player and as a leader in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Pandya couldn't replicate his past success after replacing Rohit Sharma as Mumbai Indians (MI) captain. The team managed four wins out of 14 matches and finished at the bottom of the table.
Rohit Sharma had a mixed season for the five-time IPL champions. The right-handed batter started the season strongly but struggled in the later stages of the tournament. Rohit concluded the season with 417 runs in 14 matches at an average of 32.07 and a strike rate of 150, including a century and a half-century.
Hardik Pandya failed to live up to expectations in the recently concluded season. The 30-year-old scored 216 runs in 14 matches with an average of 18 and a strike rate of 143.05. The right-arm pacer took 11 wickets at an average of 35.18 and an economy rate of 10.75, with his best bowling figures being 3/31.
India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj. Traveling Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan.