Premier India all-rounder Hardik Pandya will be back in action on Friday when India take on West Indies in the first of the five-match T20I series in Trinidad. Pandya was rested from the recently-concluded ODI series against West Indies after starring in India’s T20I and ODI series wins in England earlier this month.
Along with Pandya, skipper Rohit Sharma and wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant also were rested from the ODI and will mark their return on Friday.
Hardik Pandya was Man of the series in England ODIs
The T20I contingent had reached Port of Spain on Monday and have been enjoying their time in the Caribbean. Hardik Pandya met West Indies batting legend and former skipper, Brian Lara, on Thursday and posted a picture of the duo on his Instagram.
Pandya captioned the post: “Met this absolute legend for lunch ! Always a favourite in the pandya household.”
This pic received a lot of adulation from fans who commented with love on his post. One comment from former Sri Lanka bowler Farveez Maharoof left everyone chuckling and has gone viral.
Farveez Maharoof tagged both Pandya and Lara in his comment and wrote: “Master @brianlaraofficial with blaster @hardikpandya93.”
Here, check out:
Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya has been having a dream time in the past few months. Runs, wickets, trophies, captaincy – the 28-year-old all-rounder has unlocked a new level in his professional career.
After leading the Gujarat Titans to the IPL 2022 in the franchise’s debut season and his first as a skipper in the IPL, Pandya made a comeback to India’s T20I and ODI teams. His best came against England in both the formats – in the first T20I, he picked four wickets and scored a fifty while he bagged the Man of the Series award in the ODI series.
The 5-match T20I series against West Indies further provides a good opportunity for Pandya and the Indian team in their preparation for the T20 World Cup.
Meanwhile, the board has added Sanju Samson to the T20I squad after KL Rahul was ruled out of the series. Samson, who hit a fifty in the second ODI in a match-winning cause, was initially not selected for the T20I series but Rahul, who tested positive for covid-19 last week, couldn’t make the trip and hence this gives another chance to the Kerala batsman.
India’s squad for the five T20Is vs WI: Rohit Sharma (capt), Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh.
