ICC T20 World Cup 2022: India vs Pakistan LIVE: Just 72 hours before India begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Pakistan, former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has made a big claim. He has said that India’s only seam-allrounder Hardik Pandya can win them the World Cup title on his own. With bowling over 140 clicks and a batting strike rate of 151.38 since his return from injury, he is the man for the job. He has continued to dominate proceedings with his all-round skills and will be the most crucial player for India in Australia. Follow IND vs PAK LIVE & T20 World Cup LIVE Updates on InsideSport.IN.
“Hardik Pandya is a talented cricketer. When he’s bowling, the way he is paced up at 140s is amazing. He’s just got great skill and he’s got great ability to take wickets and also defend runs. His batting just continues to go through the roof. He’s not just a finisher, he’s a power hitter too. He’s got all the skills. We’ve seen him in the last IPL. He can win the T20 World Cup on his own. He is truly a match-winner,” Shane Watson told TOI in an interview.
ICC T20 World Cup 2022: Shane Watson makes BIG CLAIM, says ‘Hardik Pandya can win India World Cup on his own’
The 7-month-long break from cricket did Hardik Pandya wonders. During this break, he worked on his injury and got completely fit before returning for IPL 2022.
In his debut season as the captain of Gujarat Titans, he was a force to reckon with. With the bat, he scored 487 runs including 4 half-centuries at an average of 44.27 . He also bagged 8 wickets with an economy rate of 7.28.
His career-best IPL show helped him get a recall to Team India and he immediately showed what India were missing. It was his absence as an all-rounder that hurt India in T20 World Cup 2021.
Mission #T20WorldCup 🏆
All-rounder @hardikpandya7 discusses it all as #TeamIndia gear up for the marquee event👍 👍 – By @RajalArora
Full interview 🎥 🔽https://t.co/Kl71g3ILJ8 pic.twitter.com/rcyNcpL4B4
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 17, 2022
ICC T20 World Cup 2022: Shane Watson makes BIG CLAIM, says ‘Hardik Pandya can win India World Cup on his own’
After not bowling in IPL for two seasons and also not being a regular with the ball for India, he made an impressive return as a bowler. He has since bowled at 140KPH+ with his deadly short-pitch deliveries stunning the batters. In a recently posted video by BCCI, he said he is ready to bring the T20 World Cup back.
| Hardik Pandya (T20Is) | Before Break | After Break |
| Matches | 54 | 19 |
| Runs | 553 | 436 |
| 50/100 | 0 | 2/0 |
| Best Score | 42* | 71* |
| Avg | 20.48 | 36.33 |
| Strike Rate | 146.29 | 151.38 |
| Wickets | 42 | 12 |
| Economy | 8.23 | 8.65 |
| Best Bowling | 4/38 | 4/33 |
“It has to do a lot with helping myself to go back to the basics and approaching everything on a positive note. Because of that I have got peace in my life looking at the brighter side always,” Hardik Pandya said.
“I know I will have good days and bad days but the positivity comes from the hard work that I put in, which then gives me the self-belief and confidence to give it everything. And with the support of my family to always have my back, I feel a sense of complete focus and positivity around me,” he added.
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