2017 ICC Champions Trophy: Harbhajan Singh Heaps Praise On Hardik Pandya, Calls For An Unchanged Squad Against Sri Lanka
Nov 2, 2023 at 3:46 PM
The Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who is one of the eight ambassadors of ICC Champions Trophy, has heaped praise on Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who smacked three back to back sixes in the last over of the game against Pakistan off Imad Wasim.
Along with it, Bhajji has also asked for an unchanged squad going into the game against Sri Lanka as he said,
“I would play with the same XI because everyone played really well against Pakistan including Hardik Pandya. He gives you so much with the bat, bowl and with his fielding, he’s electric. He’s feeding off Virat’s energy on the field. He’s someone who looks forward to the challenges and I think he should play. The same XI gives us more batting and bowling options with Pandya and one spinner Ravindra Jadeja. And if at all we have to bowl another spinner then don’t forget the golden arm of Yuvraj Singh.”
Further, he rated the Indian team as the favourites going into the contest, as he said that the only thing which can save Sri Lanka from a loss was rain,
“If we do have a full game then I don’t think this Sri Lankan team has that much in them to beat India. They have a couple of good individual players in Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews and Upul Tharanga but as a team, I don’t rate them too highly,” he added.
India faces Sri Lanka in their next league stage game on June 8, which will be a chance for them to win and get their name registered in the next round of the tournament. If in the case Sri Lanka is able to turn the tables, then the race to the next stage will become an interesting one.
The Indian team will look to accomplish the job in the game against Sri Lana only so as to make their contest against South Africa a dead rubber, where they can also test their bench strength and give chances to other players.
Talking about the latest progress regarding the game, Angelo Mathews is fit and is all set to lead the team in the game against India, taking over reins from stand-in captain Upul Tharanga – who has been banned by ICC for two matches due to slow over-rate.