Dinesh Karthik backs Hardik Pandya's inclusion for T20 WC; 'can deliver on slow wickets'

Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik believes that all-rounder Hardik Pandya will be crucial for Team India in the upcoming T20 World Cup, which will be contested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) between October and November this year. Karthik remarked on Star Sports' 'Game Plan' show that every time there is a huge competition like the World Cup, someone steps up and plays well, and he feels Hardik Pandya will do likewise for India this time. Karthik feels Hardik is the kind of player who can contribute in all three departments and can "take the game away in the whiff of a breath". 

"He bats at No. 6, he has a job to do every time he comes in, he has the potential to take the game away in the whiff of a breath - that's how good he is. So, again with ball, he is very good with it, he is very handy, he can bowl at 85-87 mph, but also mix in slower ones. Over the period of time, he has shown the mind - what's between your ears they say - to be very strong, very calculated and he is somebody who can come and deliver on slow wickets very well, and that's one of his strengths, so I am looking forward to him as a gun fielder as well," Karthik was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. 

Hardik's injury and exclusion from Test squad

Due to the injuries he suffered in the recent past, Hardik Pandya has not bowled regularly for India since the 2019 ICC World Cup. Hardik suffered a lower back injury while playing in the 2018 Asia Cup. The injury remerged at the 2019 World Cup following which he underwent successful surgery in Britain. Hardik's ability to bowl in middle-overs has come in handy for Virat Kohli on several occasions, but due to his unavailability with the ball, he was not included in the Test squad for the WTC final and the subsequent England series.

Hardik was instead made part of the white-ball team that had travelled to Sri Lanka last month for an ODI and T20I series. Hardik had a dismal outing with both the bat and the ball despite playing in all three ODIs and the first T20I against Sri Lanka. Hardik was dropped from the playing XI for the remaining two T20I matches as a result of his elder brother Krunal Pandya testing positive for COVID-19. 

Hardik will next be seen in action during the second leg of the IPL 2021, where he will look to perform well in all departments to secure a spot in the Indian squad for the forthcoming T20 World Cup. Hardik was ineffective throughout the initial phase of the cash-rich competition, where he was used as a specialist batsman by Mumbai Indians. Hardik failed to create an impact in the tournament and was eventually dropped as India's frontline fast-bowling all-rounder from the future series.

(Image: PTI)