With just about a month remaining for the latest edition of the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, the hopes of an entire nation lie on the shoulders of the 15 Indian players who were selected to bring back that elusive ICC trophy back to India. With the squad selected and the players having known of their fate, the stage has now been set to go out there and put in performances that a country can rally behind on. None of that disinterested and half-hearted shenanigans that were a running theme of last year’s abysmal campaign.
With a new captain and some new faces, including the ones in the coaching staff, the hope is that India have the right balance in the side to go all the way in the tournament.
However, in the recent few days, there have been a lot of discussions over who will be India’s X-factor, or game changer, to put it in simple terms. The person that can turn the game on its head in just a moment of brilliance, giving India an advantage in the toughest of situations. A player who is the difference between a win and a loss. Now there are a host of players who can easily slot in that category for the side. Right from skipper Rohit Sharma to the wily R Ashwin. From the newly resurgent Virat Kohli to the young buck Arshdeep Singh. However, two names stand out from the rest: Suryakumar Yadav, and Hardik Pandya.
Suryakumar Yadav has adapted to T20 like the proverbial duck to water. Right from playing a Viv Richardsesque shot for six on his very first ball, till date, he has the ability of switching gears at will, as well as the flexibility to bat at any position required. The last T20 World Cup was not the best of experiences for him, as well as the team in general, but this year around, he enters the World Cup with a burgeoning reputation, and the numbers to back it up.
In fact, such has been his prominence in the recent past, that legendary Australian captain Ricky Ponting believes that SKY is the one player in the Indian Cricket Team who can change the game at any point in time. India’s very own Mr. 360 will definitely want to make that statement a reality. With his ability to hit shots all around the park, as well as his penchant for the outrageous, Suryakumar Yadav will definitely be a weapon for the men in blue, in the T20 World Cup 2022.
Hardik Pandya approaches the T20 World Cup 2022 in stark contrast from the one he left last year. He was dubbed my many disgruntled fans as the pantomime villain of the side, with some even going on to call him selfish, because of his refusal to bowl, as well as having a rather horrendous run with the bat as well. He was dropped from the side, and with the likes of Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, and Shardul Thakur staking their claim, it seemed like Hardik’s days in the national side were all but dusted.
However, the IPL arrived and the Hardik Pandya we’ve seen since than has arguably been even better than the previous one. Captaincy in the IPL has bought out an even higher level of performances from him, and he is now holding himself accountable for his actions, something he used to ignore previously. He has also added a few extra miles in his bowling, and what we are seeing now is a truly different, and a truly lethal Hardik Pandya. Australian pitches will be the perfect ally for him both in terms of bat and ball, and that is enough for him to become India’s biggest gamechanger.
The stage is all but set. The clock is ticking on the biggest cricket extravaganza of the world- T20 World Cup 2022. Who according to you will be the game changer for India? Will it be SKY, or will it be Pandya? Do let us know.
