Former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers believes that Hardik Pandya will be the “pivotal player” for India in the upcoming T20 World Cup in 2026.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, the ex-wicket keeper batter underlined the importance of the seam-bowling all-rounder in the team, which will be led by Suryakumar Yadav.
“Hardik will be the big pivotal player,” he said. “He’s the guy who can win you games with bat and ball. He can bowl in any situation and bat anywhere in the line-up. When he walks out to bat, there’s a sense in the opposition that they need to get him out — otherwise, they’re going to lose the game if he bats for three or four overs. The same applies with the ball in hand. The minute he comes on, you feel like he has a golden arm and might just break the partnership. He’s a great asset for Suryakumar (Yadav) to have in the team.”
Hardik was in good form in the recently concluded T20I series against South Africa. The hard-hitting batter scored 142 runs in four innings, which included two half-centuries, and was adjudged Player of the Match twice. Last year, he scored 302 runs and took 12 wickets in 15 T20Is.
De Villiers further analysed the Indian squad and said: “There are a lot of players offering skill with both bat and ball, so you can really play around with the balance of the squad. Abhishek Sharma up front, Sanju Samson as wicketkeeper. I noticed no Rishabh Pant here, no Shubman Gill, no Yashasvi Jaiswal and no Jitesh Sharma, so those are the unlucky guys who missed out.”
Keeping his workload in mind, the selectors have opted to rest Hardik for the upcoming ODI series against New Zealand. The Baroda-based cricketer will be in action in the five-match T20I series against the same opposition, which will begin on January 21.
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