In a highly anticipated clash, India will kick off their ICC T20 World Cup campaign against Ireland on June 5 at 8:00 PM. With a dominant win probability India, led by captain Rohit Sharma, boasts a formidable squad including the likes of Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, and Rishabh Pant. The showdown will take place at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in what promises to be an electrifying Group stage encounter. 

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Sanjay Manjrekar made a huge statement about Hardik Pandya ahead of IND vs IRE

When Rohit Sharma and the Indian squad play Ireland in their opening Twenty20 World Cup match in New York on Wednesday, June 5, Sanjay Manjrekar has recommended them to make use of Hardik Pandya's bowling abilities. The former cricket player suggested that the Nassau County International Cricket Ground's playing XI have three seamers.

Manjrekar also recommended adding all-rounder Axar Patel in place of a spinner to bolster the batting order. He stressed that on the New York surface, both Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja's left-arm spin will be vital.

When he spoke with ESPN Cricinfo, Manjrekar stated:

“In this sort of pitch, there is something for seam bowlers. You saw Theekshana didn’t bowl when Sri Lanka played. So, three seamers can play, you can bowl Hardik Pandya because he’s a hit-the-deck bowler.”

“You can reduce a spinner. You need depth in your batting. There, you’ve Sanju Samson, a great Test player, who will benefit. India will look to deepen their batting, so Axar Patel might play. On this pitch, finger spinners will be more successful than wrist spinners,”

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Recently in the IPL 2024, Hardik Pandya claimed 11 wickets in 12 innings at an economy rate of 10.75. Similar to that, Axar Patel has 11 wickets in 14 games while keeping an economy rate of 7.65.