The seventh edition of the T20 World Cup is set to take place in India later this year.
Former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman feels that fierce batsman Rishabh Pant could be the perfect finishing partner for Hardik Pandya in the upcoming T20 World Cup at home and said that left-handed batsman can play the big shots and finish the innings off well.
The seventh edition of the T20 World Cup, which was supposed to be held last year in Australia, is set to take place in India later this year.
The upcoming edition of the T20 World Cup would be crucial for Team India as they have failed to win any ICC tournament since their triumph in the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. However, with Team India being the hosts they will look for their first ICC limited-overs trophy under Virat Kohli's leadership.
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Analyzing Team India’s option ahead of T20 World Cup, former Indian batsman VVS Laxman said balance for the squad is very important and added that Team India is overly dependant on Hardik Pandya for finisher's role.
“As far as the T20 World Cup is concerned, the balance of the squad is very very important. There are two areas where India really requires firepower. Number one is the finisher. We depend overly on Hardik Pandya. Apart from Hardik Pandya, I don’t see anyone else who can play that finisher’s role,” VVS Laxman said on Star Sports show Cricket Connected.
Laxman further opined that KL Rahul is someone who is batting in the top order and the Indian team can try Rishabh Pant in the middle and use him as a finisher along with Hardik Pandya.
“Yes, there is KL Rahul, he is getting an opportunity but in T20s it is more top of the order. So, will they draft in Rishabh Pant who is a left-hand batsman and can play the big shots and finish off the innings well with Hardik Pandya,” he said.
Laxman further talked about Team India’s bowling department and feels that Virat Kohli needs to figure out a death-bowling partner for Jasprit Bumrah.
“And in the bowling department, who along with Bumrah can bowl those death overs. We have got options in Natarajan or Bhuvneshwar Kumar. But that is one area in the bowling department which Virat Kohli requires to address,” he concluded.
Team India however, tried Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, and Manish Pandey in the middle-order during the T20I series against Australia but none of them could set the stage on fire.
(Star Sports Inputs)