USA vs IND: Hardik Pandya namedropped as Ricky Ponting hails Rohit Sharma's strategic brilliance during India's win vs Pakistan

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting praised Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma for his excellent captaincy during the high-stakes clash of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024 against Pakistan at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on June 9.

Ponting revealed that he interacted with Rohit after the India versus Pakistan thriller and commended him for his exceptional leadership in the low-scoring thriller in New York, where the Men in Blue registered a memorable 6-run victory over their arch-rivals.

Ricky Ponting lauds Rohit Sharma's captaincy in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 thriller against Pakistan

In a video released by the ICC on social media, Ponting highlighted how Rohit's experience of captaining Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Mumbai Indians (MI) proved precious in the high-pressure T20 World Cup 2024 encounter against Pakistan.

Ponting pointed out that Rohit's deep understanding of his players, thanks to leading MI in the IPL over the years, was evident in his strategic decisions during the match on Sunday. He stressed that the Indian captain’s familiarity with his bowlers allowed him to use them effectively under pressure.

However, the Australian great said that setting a plan is crucial, but the ability of bowlers like Hardik to execute these plans ultimately made the difference in the match against Pakistan.

Apart from hailing Rohit’s strategic acumen, calmness under pressure, and decisive calls, Ponting also lauded Hardik (2/24) for his impressive bowling show against Pakistan in the tense encounter in New York.

Ricky Ponting hails Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma after IND vs PAK clash

Ricky Ponting said in the video posted by the ICC on Instagram: “Rohit Sharma is a very experienced captain, isn’t he? And I just saw him then and said, Mate, your captaincy today was outstanding. I don’t think he could have done much more. You think about a lot of the bowlers that he’s got on his team. He’s actually had those bowlers in the IPL as well, not only for India. So, he understands them and knows when he can use them, but it’s one thing for the captain to set a plan; the bowlers are going to go ahead and execute it, and Hardik was outstanding.”

Ponting further hailed Pandya's effective performance with the ball and his contribution to the Men in Blue’s memorable win over Pakistan. He noted that the pitch favored seamers, but the impressive bowling of the spinner impressed him as well, as they delivered four overs for just 20 runs, with Axar Patel taking a crucial wicket from Usman Khan (13).

Furthermore, the former World Cup winner noted that the wicket changed during the second innings as Pakistan's bowlers managed to make the ball hold up due to natural variation. As the sun dried out the pitch quickly, Ponting said that adaptation and quick adjustments were a must. He lauded Rohit for handling these changes proficiently and making strategic decisions against Pakistan.

Ponting said: “I thought Hardik did a really good job with the ball as well, and then you break it down, and this has been a wicket that the seamers have liked, but their spinner bowled four overs for 20 as well, and Axar Patel picked up a big wicket. Yeah, the wicket was definitely different in the second innings. I mean, you can see Pakistan got the ball to hold up through natural variation, and you know, it was just a little bit tacky, but when the sun came out, the wicket dried out quite quickly, and then you have to adapt and adjust on the run. I thought he did that really well.”

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