Former cricketer WV Raman believes Hardik Pandya could be India’s X-factor at the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
Raman highlighted that the all-rounder's ability to bowl his full 10-over quota provides invaluable flexibility, but stressed this hinges entirely on maintaining his fitness levels.
Pointing to Pandya's withdrawal from the Afghanistan series, Raman noted that managing his fitness is the primary concern.
Raman urged the team management to use 12-15 months leading up to the quadrennial event to test various combinations, manage bench strength, and define individual roles.
"I believe that he can be a terrific cricketer for the Indian team. The flexibility he can provide if fit and able to bowl 10 overs is invaluable. But I think it will all come down to the fitness levels he can maintain," Raman told PTI Videos in an exclusive interview.
"Even for this Afghanistan series, he was picked in the squad, but unfortunately, he was pulled out at the last minute because of injuries," he added.
Raman emphasized the importance of learning from past ICC tournament setbacks and using bilateral series to prepare for high-pressure situations.
"Having reached the knockout stage eight times and succeeded only twice shows that the team management needs to look at various options and get into an experimental mode," Raman stated.
"The 12 to 15 months leading up to the tournament are very important. They must utilise all bilateral series to try different combinations. This will help players discover themselves and allow the management to assess their main strength, bench strength and possible options as the World Cup approaches," he remarked.
While India have won the ODI World Cup in 1983 and 2011, they finished as runners-up in 2003 and 2023 and suffered semi-final exits in 1987, 1996, 2015 and 2019.
Raman acknowledged India's impressive record, but maintained the focus has to be on delivering in knockout fixtures.
"They have been extraordinarily good in the white-ball format despite not winning the 50-over World Cup. They were perhaps found wanting in crucial periods of knockout games and they will address that," he said.
When asked about veteran opener Rohit Sharma's future in the ODI side, Raman replied: "Rohit is an individual who has done extraordinarily well in that format. He is one of the greats of the game. Whether he is still as good as he was is something for the team management to decide."
WV Raman urged the national selectors to evaluate emerging batters like Sanju Samson and Sai Sudharsan on their overall team value, while praising the deep pool of fast-bowling options.
"We have Siraj, Bumrah, Arshdeep and Hardik. Apart from that, there are players like Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav and Harshit Rana. Having so many options is fantastic for Indian cricket," he said.
Raman also commended Shubman Gill's growth as captain, saying leadership improves with experience.
"Captains are judged by outcomes. It is impossible for any captain to be right all the time. But he is obviously a quick learner and is growing as a captain," he said.
Talking about Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Raman cautioned against making early predictions about the teenager, suggesting that he should simply be allowed to play and develop naturally.
"Let's not take a crystal ball and try to assess what he can become. Things will pan out. He has shown he is not afraid of taking on the best in the business. Age is on his side. Just allow him to play his cricket," he said.
(With PTI Inputs)
