Reetinder Singh Sodhi believes Hardik Pandya is not an automatic pick in Team India’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. The T20 World Cup will be played from October 17 in the UAE and Oman. The Indian selectors are likely to choose the squad for the mega event on Wednesday.
The BCCI is all set to announce India’s squad for the T20 World Cup on Wednesday. While the selectors had already had a chat with skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri, they will have one more customary meeting on Wednesday morning to finalize the selection. Furthermore, India will also carry a few additional players as a COVID-19 contingency.
Reetinder Singh Sodhi: Hardik Pandya Didn’t Set The Stage On Fire In The Recent Sri Lanka Series So He Isn’t A Certainty In T20I WC Squad
During a discussion on India News, Reetinder Singh Sodhi opined that Hardik Pandya might not be a certain pick in India’s squad.
“I will stick my neck out, it is not certain that Hardik Pandya has sealed his spot. Hardik Pandya is a great potential and is called an all-rounder, but if you talk about the recent Sri Lanka series, he did not set the stage on fire.”
Hardik Pandya scored just 19 runs in the two innings he played in the ODI series against Sri Lanka. He picked up only two wickets in the three matches and was taken for an average of 6.92 runs per over. Even in the solitary T20I, he played on the tour, Hardik Pandya scored 10 runs at a strike rate of 83.33 and conceded 17 runs in the two overs he bowled.
After missing out on a lot of action owing to a back injury, Hardik Pandya made a phenomenal comeback in the IPL 2020 season, playing the finisher role for the team Mumbai Indians and hammering the ball in the slog overs at a strike rate of 178. But in IPL 2021, he disappointed scoring only 52 runs in 7 games averaging a pathetic 8.66. He didn’t bowl in the last two IPL editions.
Reetinder Singh Sodhi: Shardul Thakur Is Slightly Ahead Of Hardik Pandya At Present
Reetinder Singh Sodhi believes that Shardul Thakur has the edge over Hardik Pandya at the moment.
“My opinion is that if you compare Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur at this point in time, Shardul Thakur might be seen slightly ahead. I agree Shardul Thakur has done very well in Test cricket but he has the signs of showing exceptional play in T20s as well.”
The former India all-rounder added that Shardul Thakur can be extremely useful for the Virat Kohli-led side.
“The emergence of Shardul Thakur, he has come into consideration suddenly and people have started talking about him all of a sudden. He can be an asset, a player who has the ability to win the match both with bowling and batting.”
Reetinder Singh Sodhi signed off by reiterating that Shardul Thakur could be a viable alternative for Hardik Pandya.
“So if you have an option, there is Shardul Thakur, you can take him as well. Competition is very tight, we will have to see who the selectors pick.”
Shardul Thakur has certainly staked his claim for a spot in India’s T20 World Cup squad with his excellent performances in England. While Hardik Pandya is almost a sure-shot pick, Shardul Thakur is likely to be in the selectors’ thoughts as he can provide much-needed depth in batting.
With the final date for submitting the squad list nearing, the Virat Kohli-led Indian team is expected to announce their 15-member squad soon. With Washington Sundar set to miss IPL due to an injury and World Cup in all probability, Ravichandran Ashwin may feature in the WC squad.
With wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul in the side, Ishan Kishan would have to miss out. There could be a toss-up between Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw for the 3rd opener’s slot.