Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik to be India’s twin trump cards for Super Eights, says Paranjape

New Delhi: Former India cricketer and national selector Jatin Paranjape feels fast-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and seam-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya will be the twin trump cards for the defending champions ahead of their Super Eights campaign in the Men’s T20 World Cup starting against South Africa in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

In three league games, Bumrah has picked four wickets at an economy rate of six and a strike rate of 13.5. Hardik, meanwhile, has amassed 87 runs with a batting strike-rate of 155 and grabbed five wickets at an economy rate of 7.9. Hardik also produced a great all-round performance – hitting 52 and taking 2-28 – when India beat Namibia in New Delhi earlier this month. 

“The guy who takes this Indian team to a different level altogether is Hardik Pandya. Without him, this Indian team is half as good as it is with him in it. Hardik’s improvement over the last 12 months has shown that he is just so focused on his game. He is not letting the outside chatter get to him at all.

“He has been through so much in his personal life as well. But he is one player, and I am a big fan of his for that, who has improved tremendously with the bat, with the ball, with the field, and with his body. So, Hardik is the key to India’s fortunes,” Paranjape told IANS in an exclusive conversation on Saturday.

Due to his previously captaining the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Hardik is well-versed with the conditions and ground size in Ahmedabad. It further reflects in him amassing 470 runs in 19 T20I innings in Ahmedabad, coming at a strike-rate of 142.

In last year’s final T20I against South Africa at the same venue, Hardik scored 63 off 25 balls as India won the series 4-1. With India losing 11 wickets to off-spin - the most among all teams in this World Cup and a glaring loophole to exploit by other teams – Hardik will be expected to bail out of trouble, considering the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, and Suryakumar Yadav have found the going tough against spin.

Hardik, along with Bumrah, has also contributed to India having the best economy rate amongst all bowling units (7) and the second-best bowling average (15.4) by a team in this competition. IANS

Also Read: ICC rankings: Bumrah continues to hold top Test bowler spot