DUBAI: Batting legend Ricky Ponting feels that India ought to have picked Hardik Pandya of their squad for the World Check Championships (WTC) last in opposition to Australia in London, saying his all-round skills might have turned out to be the deciding issue within the one-off recreation.
Pandya has not performed a Check since 2018 and he has opted sit out of the five-day format resulting from ongoing health issues.
However Ponting felt Pandya might have performed within the winner-takes all conflict at The Oval from June 7-11. Primarily as a result of he has bowled in kind of each recreation within the just-concluded IPL for Gujarat Titans which he captains.
“…I assumed concerning the different day for India on this recreation is how useful somebody like Hardik Pandya might be in a one-off Check match,” Ponting wrote for the ICC Assessment.
“I do know he’s on report saying that the Check match recreation might be a bit of bit arduous on his physique. However for a one-off recreation… he is been bowling each recreation via this IPL and he is bowling fast.”
The previous Australia captain, additionally the top coach of Delhi Capitals within the IPL, mentioned Pandya might have been the X-factor for the Indian crew within the WTC last starting on June 7.
“He (Pandya) might be that X-factor there simply to choose in a one-off recreation, are available in and see what he can do with bat and ball. He might be the distinction between the 2 groups.”
The 29-year-old Pandya has performed in 11 Assessments until now after making his debut in 2017, scoring 532 runs at a mean of 31.29 with 100 and 4 fifties. He has taken 17 wickets at a mean of 31.05.
Within the 74 ODIs he has performed to this point, Pandya has scored 1584 runs at a mean of 33.00 and brought 72 wickets. Within the T20Is, he has scored 1271 runs from 87 matches and scalped 69 wickets.
Pandya led Gujarat Titans to maiden IPL triumph in 2022 however misplaced to Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Chennai Tremendous Kings on this season’s last on Monday.