So, when Ricky Ponting was asked on “The ICC Review” to list the top five players that he would select while opting for a World T20I team, one of the first names who came to his mind was Hardik Pandya.
The Twenty20 World Cup will begin in fewer than two months, and all of the teams are now preparing for the major competition. The Indian cricket squad, which is being led by Rohit Sharma, is also gearing up for the competition by participating in several high-caliber series, such as the Asia Cup. The last time India won an ICC trophy was in 2013, when they took home the Champions Trophy. If Rohit’s team is going to break India’s title drought, all eyes will be on them.
Hardik Pandya stands out as one of the Indian players who has been successful in the Twenty20 format over the past few months. Other Indian players have also been successful in this format. Therefore, when Ricky Ponting was asked on “The ICC Review” to choose the top five players that he would select while going for a World Twenty20 International team, Pandya was one of the first decisions that he would make.
In addition, the former captain of the Australian cricket team mentioned the quick bowler Jasprit Bumrah in the list. Rashid Khan of Afghanistan was Ponting’s initial selection for the team, followed by Babar Azam of Pakistan, Pandya of India, Jos Buttler of England, and Bumrah.
Ponting was asked about Pandya and said the following regarding him: “On current form, it’s really hard to go beyond Hardik Pandya at number three. His IPL was of exceptional quality. To see him back at the bowling crease is something that I was always a little bit hesitant would actually ever happen. He’s had some pretty huge injury setbacks, which has clearly hampered how much he’s been able to play for India. I’m glad to see that he’s back.
“However, he’s back to bowling, and he’s doing the same 140 kilometres per hour that he was doing four or five years ago. But both his batting and his level of maturity when batting have improved dramatically in recent games.
“He understands the game better and he understands his game better than ever before, and right now he’s definitely the best allrounder in the world in T20 cricket, and may potentially be in ODI cricket.” “He understands the game better and he understands his game better than ever before.”
Regarding Bumrah, Ponting said: “Jasprit Bumrah in at number five. He is likely the most complete bowler in the world right now across all three formats of cricket (Test cricket, One Day Cricket, and Twenty20 Cricket). When somebody decides to employ him in that capacity, he is very skilled with the new ball.
“India might think of giving him an over with the new ball in Australia (at the T20 World Cup), where it might swing. However, what you can guarantee is a couple of great high-quality death overs, which is what every team is looking for – someone that can execute slow balls and bouncers.” [Citation needed]
