Not Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli or Jasprit Bumrah! Shane Watson names India's key player for ODI World Cup
Not Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli or Jasprit Bumrah! Watson names India's key player for ODI WC.
India lost the second and penultimate ODI, of the three-match home series, versus Australia on Sunday (March 19). They will now gear up to face Steve Smith-led Aussies in the third and final ODI, in Chennai, on Wednesday (March 22) with the series on the line (levelled at 1-1).
A series win will boost India's confidence as the No. 1 ranked ODI side is preparing hard for the upcoming 50-over World Cup, to be held in India later this year. The Rohit Sharma-led Indian squad features many superstars such as Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah (currently out of action due to injury), Ravindra Jadeja, Md Shami and Siraj, etc.
Thus, India are one of the contenders for the ODI World Cup. Former Australian opener and all-rounder Shane Watson opined on India's squad for the mega event and named 29-year-old Hardik as the key player.
"For me, the person who has impressed me a lot as an all-rounder and is very special is Hardik Pandya. He has an amazing batting technique, and he bowls very nicely as well. He has done wonders for India in ODIs and T20Is. He is someone I really love watching play. He (Hardik) is someone who brings some things I wanted to do as a fast-bowling all-rounder. He has done well for India, especially on the big stage. He is a special talent that India has," the Australian told TimesofIndia.com.
Also Read:Throwback: Before IPL became a thing! When Ganguly bowled to teammates Tendulkar, Dravid - Watch
"Hardik will be a key player for Rohit in the World Cup. With his skills with the bat, the power and technique that he has, and the bowling power he has, he will be the key player for India in the World Cup," he added.
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Hardik is Rohit's deputy in white-ball formats and has featured in n11 Tests, 73 ODIs, and 87 T20Is. He was part of India's 2019 ODI World Cup campaign, where the Virat Kohli-led side bowed out in the semi-finals. He will be desperate to guide India to the mega title later this year courtesy of his all-round skills.