S Sreesanth Interview: Hardik Pandya will be like Yuvraj Singh of 2011 in 2024 T20 World Cup, says ex-India pacer

Hardik Pandya’s form for India in the ongoing T20 World Cup couldn’t be more different from what it was for the Mumbai Indians in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL).

Pandya had a forgettable maiden IPL season as MI captain this year. Not only did the five-time champions finish at the bottom of the 10-team table, Pandya struggled to make an impact. However, it’s as if wearing the blue Indian jersey for the first time since last year’s ODI World Cup has almost magically revived his form.

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Not only did Pandya regain his form as a finisher with an unbeaten 40 off 23 balls in the warm-up clash against Bangladesh, the seamer is also currently India’s leading wicket-taker in the tournament with seven scalps, including 3/27 against Ireland in India’s opening match.

Among those who expect Pandya to play a major role in helping India win their first ICC title in more than a decade is S Sreesanth. The former India pacer doesn’t just expect him to do great things in the ongoing tournament, he backs Pandya to have the kind of impact on India’s campaign in the 2024 T20 World Cup that legendary all-rounder Yuvraj Singh had on the 2011 World Cup.

“See, Hardik Pandya as an all-rounder, we created a lot of fuss about ‘Kapil paaji ke baad’ he is one of the best all-rounders. But I will say, this is a completely different era, where he can win the match with a ball, he can win the match with a bat. And more than anything, he is a great fielder, he is a gun fielder… and he is a good captain also, so he has got that captain’s mindset wherever he is on the field. So his anticipation is so good,” Sreesanth, who is a panellist on Disney+ Hotstar’s Caught and Bold show, told Firstpost in an exclusive interaction.

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“Again, it all comes from playing all these matches and learning from them. So I will say the one player who will be, I think like Yuvraj Singh of 2011, who did both batting, bowling and fielding, will be Hardik Pandya for this World Cup.

“When it comes to bowling, yes, Bumrah, but I think when it comes to all-round performance, I would love to see Hardik Pandya taking that Man of the Series or the Player of the Tournament 2024 World Cup when India kisses that World Cup,” Sreesanth added.

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Sreesanth’s praise wasn’t just limited to Pandya though. The Kerala pacer, who was Yuvraj’s teammate in the MS Dhoni-led Indian teams that won the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 as well as the 50-over World Cup at home four years later, credited the rest of the Jasprit Bumrah-led bowling unit as well for India winning all three matches so far in the tournament.

“I am sure the way Bumrah has been improving every single game, every nets session, he wants to learn. Any youngster who is playing the game or who is planning to take up the game should take a leaf out of Bumrah’s book because it is very important to keep learning in international cricket or any sport for that matter,” said the 41-year-old.

“Hardik Pandya, the way he bowled, he’s showing that never-die attitude when he gets the ball. He’s got that, how do I say, the Gen Z look in his face when he gets anybody out. He’s got that, you know, I don’t care who you are, but I’m going to get you out. And when he gets too bat, he doesn’t really care about who the bowler is. He looks at the ball.

“And Siraj running in and bowling those slower ones. It was so good to see he’s improved as a white-ball cricketer. We all know what he can do in red ball even in white ball but he’s improved his white-ball performance. And Arshdeep, even though in domestic circuit he was not doing that great, when it comes to Indian colours Arshdeep always does it for the country and I think that last over (against Pakistan) was an example of playing all those First-Class matches and getting those overs under his belt,” Sreesanth added.

The Indian attack has fired on all cylinders in the ongoing tournament, bowling Ireland out for 96 and restricting USA to 110/8 in their most recent fixture on Wednesday. They even managed to eke out a thrilling six-run victory over arch-rivals Pakistan from a near-hopeless situation while defending a modest target of 120, with the Babar Azam-led Men in Green going from 73/2 to 113 all out.

And central to India’s outstanding bowling performance is Bumrah and his game-changing spells. The Mumbai Indians pacer maintained his composure at a time when Pakistan needed just 48 to win at a-run-a-ball with eight wickets in hand, and managed to induce panic in the opposition dugout by getting the key wicket of Mohammad Rizwan, later receiving the Player of the Match award for his outstanding figures of 3/14 from four overs.

According to Sreesanth, it’s not just Bumrah’s impeccable discipline with lines and lengths and his ability to flummox the best of batters with his clever variations or to bulldoze them with his searing yorkers that make him one of the greatest pacers India has ever produced, if not the best. It’s also the work that he has put in off the field with his training and work ethic that sets him apart.

And it’s this discipline as well as training regimen that has allowed him to remain India’s No. 1 bowler even with an injury that many had believed would eventually lead to a career-ending injury sooner rather than later.

“See Bumrah for me is somebody who has learnt in the hardest possible way because a lot of people had questioned his action to start with, whether he will keep getting injured. But he came out with his own plan which is strengthening his muscles, improving his flexibility, following a certain routine, having nutrition as to what an international Olympic athlete will do. So he followed certain routines. That’s why a lot of people love him because it doesn’t matter what your action is, if you strengthen your muscles and if you strengthen your flexibility.

“There is injury but he is ready to face it. So that is one good quality. He is focused a lot in fitness. Plus Bumrah, the way he has been bowling, he knows exactly what his plans are. See, a lot of bowlers will know the plans, but to execute those plans and especially under pressure situation… You can do that in the nets session, you can do it in the practice match. But matches like India-Pakistan in a World Cup, matches for that matter, any matter, even in doing IPL matches, to execute those plans it needs a lot of courage and strength and that’s come from with experience and Bumrah has done that all his life. Whenever he had an injury he’s gone back and came back strong.

“So whatever you see now, I’m sure he’s surely one of the best bowlers India has ever seen. Because Kapil paaji to Javagal Srinath, we have seen a lot of fast bowlers running in and giving his best. But Bumrah for me, to be consistent and to be persistent since so many years and doing the job literally single-handedly and leading the pack, I think I will rate him really, really up there,” Sreesanth, who collected 169 wickets in 90 international appearances including 27 Tests, added.

‘Would love to see more wickets like New York’

Team India have played all of their matches in the ongoing tournament at New York’s Nassau County International Stadium, a venue described as something of a nightmare for batters with its uneven bounce along with a sluggish outfield. Teams struggled to cross the 100-run mark after India posted 182 in the warm-up clash against Bangladesh in the first competitive match played at this venue.

Anrich Nortje ran riot against the Sri Lankans, helping South Africa bowl the 2014 T20 world champions out for just 77. The Proteas would later get reduced to 12/4 after restricting Netherlands — their bogey team in recent ICC events — to 103/9. South Africa eventually managed to get over the line thanks to a gritty half-century by David Miller.

And much like India against Pakistan, South Africa were able to defend a modest total of 113 by staying calm and executing their plans when when Bangladesh needed just 20 to win off 18 balls with six wickets in hand.

The modular stadium at New York that was built specifically for the tournament and is being dismantled after hosting its final game on Wednesday — between USA and India — certainly wasn’t a favourite among batters where scores in the range of 130 were considered challenging, even match-winning. New York, however, witnessed more last-ball thrillers than any other venue, not just this year but when taking other editions of the T20 World Cup into account.

Sreesanth, for one, is all for bowling-friendly wickets in the shortest format of the game that has been dominated by batters since it was introduced at the international level nearly two decades ago. Not quite the minefield of a wicket that New York was, which left the likes of India skipper Rohit Sharma injured, but one that had plenty for the bowlers while allowing the batters to score big at the same time if they managed to apply themselves.

“I know everybody wants to see high-scoring matches, but even such thrillers are exciting.

“You’re talking to a fast bowler so I would love to see more wickets like this. And the batsman struggling. When I saw that South Africa-Sri Lanka match with the way Nortje was making the batsman jump around I was like oh my God maybe I should take off my retirement and play again.

“So I would love to see not this kind of uneven bounce but a competitive wicket where if you bend your back you get the bounce, if you bowl well you get wickets and if you stick around and play those waiting game and play the ball under the eye like a proper cricketing shots, you end up getting runs as well. So it’s nice to have a competitive wicket,” Sreesanth signed off.

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 is streaming LIVE and FREE on mobile on Disney+ Hotstar