Hardik Pandya has been in fine form lately.
Former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers has heaped praise on Hardik Pandya, hailing the all-rounder as a “big pivotal player" for the Indian team in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, de Villiers emphasised Team India’s depth and flexibility as he analysed the defending champions’ squad composition.
“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," de Villiers said.
“Abhishek Sharma upfront, Sanju Samson wicketkeeper. I noted no Rishabh Pant here, no Shubman Gill, no Yashasvi Jaiswal, no Jitesh Sharma, so those are the unlucky guys who missed out," he added.
The Proteas legend then went on to highlight Hardik’s impact on opposition teams. “Hardik will be the big pivotal player. He’s the guy who can win you games with bat and ball. He can bowl in any situation, he can bat anywhere in the lineup," de Villiers stated.
“When he walks out to bat, there’s a sense in the opposition like we need to get him out, we gonna lose the game if he bats for three or four overs.
“Same with the ball in hand, the minute he comes on, you feel like he has a golden arm and he might just break the partnership, so a great asset for Suryakumar (Yadav) to have in the team," he explained.
Hardik Pandya has been in fine form lately. He smashed 133 off 92 balls, including 8 fours and 11 sixes, in his last competitive outing for Baroda against Vidarbha in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. During his maiden List A ton, he also slammed five sixes and a four in one over.
For India, Hardik’s last assignment was the five-T20I series against South Africa at home, where he amassed 142 runs in three innings at an average of 71.00 and a blistering strike rate of 186.84, including two half-centuries.
Hardik will be next in action in the five-T20I series against New Zealand this month, followed by the T20 World Cup 2026, slated to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.