NEW DELHI: Former pacer Sreesanth has expressed special admiration for India T20 World Cup team vice-captain Hardik Pandya, who has been impressing in the USA with his remarkable bowling performances.
Hardik has captivated fans with his blistering speed at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
In three matches, he has taken seven wickets, maintaining an impressive economy rate of 5.41.
Sreesanth, impressed by Hardik's performances, noted that the 30-year-old doesn't seem like a part-time bowler. He compared Hardik to Australia's Marcus Stoinis, highlighting his ability to bowl crucial overs and take game-changing wickets.
1/10:T20 World Cup: India reach Super Eights with 7-wicket win over US
<p>Read more on TOI Sports</p>
2/10:MASSIVE WIN
<p>Suryakumar Yadav hit an unbeaten half-century and left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh claimed a career-best 4-9 as India defeated the United States by seven wickets to reach the T20 World Cup second round on Wednesday.<br /></p>AFP
3/10:SKY-DUBE SHOW
<p>Chasing 111 to win the Group A clash, India were rattled at 15-2 and then 44-3 before Yadav (50) and Shivam Dube (31) put on an undefeated fourth-wicket stand of 67 <br /></p>ANI
4/10:SOLID STAND
<p><br />The duo secured a third win in three games for India with 10 balls to spare.<br /></p>AP
5/10:USA STILL ALIVE
<p>Despite the defeat, the United States are still well-placed to join India in the Super Eights as they have four points while Pakistan and Canada are on two.<br /></p>AFP
6/10:MAGNIFICENT BOWLING
<p>India were stunned by Mumbai-born fast bowler Saurabh Netravalkar who had superstar batsman Virat Kohli caught behind for nought off the first ball he faced.<br /></p>AFP
7/10:BIG WICKET!
<p>Rohit was then caught by Harmeet Singh at mid-off, again off the bowling of the 32-year-old Netravalkar in the third over.<br /></p>AFP
8/10:PANT'S CAMEO
<p>Rishabh Pant's 18-run cameo was ended when his stumps were uprooted by Ali Khan in the eighth over.<br /></p>AP
9/10:SKY ON TOP!
<p>However, Yadav went to his 18th international T20 half-century from 49 balls with two fours and a pair of sixes.<br /></p>IANS
10/10:DUBE ON FIRE!
<p>Left-hander Dube's 31 came off 35 deliveries and featured a boundary and a six on the same notoriously tricky and slow Nassau County International Cricket Stadium pitch where India had made just 119 in a six-run win over Pakistan at the weekend.<br /></p>AFP"The way Hardik is bowling, he doesn't look like a part-time bowler. He can pick the new ball, and he can bowl those cutters. I think he is doing what Stoinis is doing for the Australia team, getting those crucial wickets and bowling those crucial overs. I think it is very important for an all-rounder," Sreesanth told ANI.
Hardik faced significant criticism after replacing Rohit Sharma as the captain of the Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2024. Some fans trolled him on social media, and ex-cricketers criticized his on-field decisions as a captain.
However, on the international stage, Hardik has regained his form, showcasing his prowess with fiery bouncers.
Sreesanth praised Hardik, mentioning that his performance improves as the stakes rise. He also believes Hardik is capable of winning matches not just with his bowling but with his batting and fielding as well.
"When you play for the Mumbai Indians, then only Mumbai was supporting him, and when he plays for India, the whole country supports him. With all due respect to fans, the energy that he brings makes us love him even more. There is no comparison to Hardik Pandya. That person can win you matches with fielding, he can win you matches with bowling and he can win you matches with batting. His performance gets better when the match is good. He keeps the players together. So that is a great quality. The IPL is gone, and now India is playing. I will just say the IPL was practice match, and this is to win the World Cup," he added.
In the group stage, India's strong playing XI still has some top stars waiting for their chance.
Sanju Samson, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Kuldeep Yadav are eager for an opportunity.
Talking about India's bench strength, Sreesanth is optimistic: "Absolutely," he said, regarding India's chances of lifting the T20 World Cup for the first time since 2007.
"Absolutely, if we talk about Virat and Rohit, what a great brotherhood, and one can learn a lot of things from them. They have a lot of experience, they can win matches from any position. We have Rishabh Pant. What a story, not just for cricket but even for life. He is such an inspirational guy. It is not just for the sake of story-making; he is doing it again and again. In the game against Pakistan, he took a diving catch towards his right in Arshdeep's over. His bowling literally sealed the game for us," Sreesanth said.
"We have so much talent if you look at Arshdeep Singh, Bumrah with the way he is bowling, Hardik Pandya, and even Chahal, one of the best bowlers, sitting out. Sanju and even Kuldeep are missing out on games. We have such great bench strength," he concluded.
India have already secured a spot in the Super 8s and will play their final group stage game against Canada in Florida on Saturday.
