The T20 World Cup 2024 will be played in USA and West Indies in June.
India will be seeking their first ICC trophy since 2013. They recently lost the final of the WTC 2023 and the World Cup to Australia.
However, along with Rohit Sharma, who will captain the Indian team in the tournament, the rest of the potential players are currently busy in the ongoing IPL 2024 tournament for their respective franchises.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has advised the Indian team management to make sure they pick allrounder Hardik Pandya for the World Cup as it will be difficult for them to win the title without his all-round prowess.
“For India to win the World Cup, they need Hardik Pandya, they need him playing well. They need to over the next few weeks get that confidence level right up to the top because India with Hardik flying have got a great chance of lifting the trophies,” Vaughan said on The Ranveer Show on YouTube.
Hardik Pandya last played for India in the 2023 World Cup, where he suffered an injury in a match against Bangladesh. He spent the rest of his time recovering from the injury and made his return in the DY Patil T20 Cup just before the IPL 2024.
Another player whom Michael Vaughan deemed vital for India’s chances in the T20 World Cup was Rishabh Pant. Notably, Rishabh Pant made his cricketing return in IPL 2024 after recovering from injuries suffered in a car accident in December 2022.
Vaughan feels Pandya and Pant at their best will be crucial to India’s chances at the T20 World Cup.
“I don’t think they (India) will (win) unless they have a Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant playing well. For India to win T20 World Cup, Rishabh has to play. He has to be playing to a level that it was before the injury. He is kind of getting back to that level and they need Hardik Pandya the allrounder (as well),” Vaughan said.