Especially in the shortest format, finishing has become an important part of the game. It will be interesting to see how many of the four real finishers that India has nominated in their roster for the T20 World Cup 2024 are selected for the starting lineup.
With his all-around skills and the performance he displayed against Bangladesh in the warm-up match, Hardik Pandya is predicted to be a given. Nevertheless, except that performance, his performance since his comeback from an ankle injury has been very lacklustre. The Baroda all-rounder failed to perform well with the bat or the ball and guided the Mumbai Indians to a bottom-of-the-table finish in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Hardik managed to score a mere 216 runs in 14 games, averaging just 18 and striking out at 143.05. He only took 11 wickets at an economy rate of 10.75 and an average of 35.18 with the ball, though.
Nonetheless, Hardik stands out from the others thanks to his distinct skill sets. He has performed admirably in previous ICC competitions, so if he can repeat that performance next month, it will be beneficial for the first-time champs.
Could Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya collaborate on a game?
After joining the Chennai Super Kings in 2022, Shivam Dube has evolved as a player. In the IPL 2024, he had a spectacular season at bat, amassing 396 runs at an average of 36 with a strike rate of 162.30 from 14 games. The southpaw beat Rinku Singh for the decision thanks to his exceptional play in the first half of the season.
Dube may not be as skilled as Hardik, but on any given day, he can support captain Rohit Sharma by contributing a few overs. But it will be hard to fit him into the playing XI, and since the World Cup will be played in the USA and the West Indies, where spin bowling is expected to be favoured, India may be tempted to field Axar Patel or Ravindra Jadeja as their second all-rounder. In the last three IPL seasons, the Mumbai all-rounder has only bowled 18 deliveries.
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Because he can act as a third seamer and let wrist-spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal cooperate, Hardik will always have the upper hand in a shootout with Dube.
Is it Axar Patel or Ravindra Jadeja? Cruel decisions for management
Choosing between Jadeja and Axar for the starting lineup will be difficult. Both players contribute qualities that are similar. But Jadeja can be a little more dependable on the field and at the bat. The all-rounder from Saurashtra, with his flawless precision, becomes unplayable if the surface helps the spinners.
Axar, on the other hand, is a tough player who has recently improved his hitting. But with the ball, that’s where his strength rests. Even on calm tracks, the left-arm spinner can extract turn and confound batters with his subtle variations. Thus, amongst the two, Jadeja is the safer choice, but Axar might be a more daring one.
Also read: T20 World Cup 2024: Should India play KulCha together?
While Jadeja had a respectable IPL 2024 season at bat, his ball-handling abilities were far from stellar. The 35-year-old hit 142.02 with a strike rate of 44.50 to score 267 runs in 11 innings. But at a strike rate of 35.25 and an average of 46.12, he could only take eight wickets with the ball.
At a strike rate of 131.28 and an average of 29.38, the 30-year-old Axar scored 235 runs in 12 innings. He took 11 wickets with the ball, with a strike rate of 24 and an average of 30.64.
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