Bumrah & Hardik: India's Twin Trump Cards for T20 World Cup Super Eights

In three league games, Bumrah has picked four wickets at an economy rate of six and a strike rate of 13.5. Hardik, meanwhile, has amassed 87 runs with a batting strike-rate of 155 and grabbed five wickets at an economy rate of 7.9. Hardik also produced a great all-round performance - hitting 52 and taking 2-28 - when India beat Namibia in New Delhi earlier this month.

"The guy who takes this Indian team to a different level altogether is Hardik Pandya. Without him, this Indian team is half as good as it is with him in it. Hardik's improvement over the last 12 months has shown that he is just so focused on his game. He is not letting the outside chatter get to him at all.

"He has been through so much in his personal life as well. But he is one player, and I am a big fan of his for that, who has improved tremendously with the bat, with the ball, with the field, and with his body. So, Hardik is the key to India's fortunes," Paranjape told IANS in an exclusive conversation on Saturday.

Due to his previously captaining the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Hardik is well-versed with the conditions and ground size in Ahmedabad. It further reflects in him amassing 470 runs in 19 T20I innings in Ahmedabad, coming at a strike-rate of 142.

In last year's final T20I against South Africa at the same venue, Hardik scored 63 off 25 balls as India won the series 4-1. With India losing 11 wickets to off-spin - the most among all teams in this World Cup and a glaring loophole to exploit by other teams - Hardik will be expected to bail out of trouble, considering the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, and Suryakumar Yadav have found the going tough against spin.

Hardik, along with Bumrah, has also contributed to India having the best economy rate amongst all bowling units (7) and the second-best bowling average (15.4) by a team in this competition.

"Along with Hardik, according to me, Jasprit Bumrah is also going to be in top form. I have noticed him, he is looking leaner, he has lost weight, he is looking fitter. These are the tournaments for great players like him and great all-rounders like Hardik to really come to the party and get it done when it matters most."

"So, according to me, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah are going to be two trump cards for India. If India has to do well and win the World Cup, both these guys will have to be in prime form," added Paranjape, the co-founder of KheloMore and member of the BCCI Cricket Advisory Committee.

Although India enters the Super Eights as the lone unbeaten team from Group A, they are paired with other undefeated sides, including South Africa, West Indies, and Zimbabwe. "Everybody expects India to win this T20 World Cup very easily, but I don't think it's going to be super, super easy because the Super Eights will also be interesting.

"I think India are putting some serious distance between themselves and the competition going into the Super Eights. The first game is with South Africa, but I think, irrespective of the opposition, this Indian setup just looks really strong, despite the three ducks in a row from what was their biggest weapon, Abhishek Sharma," added Paranjape.

Though Abhishek is yet to score a run in the World Cup, especially with him recovering from a stomach infection and leading to India's opening partnerships averaging only 8.5, Dube has added heft to India's batting depth by accelerating his scoring tempo in recent months, which was seen during his match-winning fifty against the Netherlands earlier this week.

Till the end of the 2024 World Cup, Dube's strike rate stood at 134 against pace and spin. Post that tournament, where he was a member of the winning Indian team, the numbers have spiked dramatically -- 172 against pace and 183 against spin.

"Abhishek's low scores have been offset by Shivam Dube, who is really impressing me a lot with the way he's approached the middle part of the innings, and his six-hitting ability is today second to none across world cricket, and he just looks in fantastic form.

"So, I think Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, and Surya also kind of chipping in and looking like he's getting into the right nick, plus Jasprit Bumrah, who's firing on all cylinders right now and he is kind of ripping open the opposition in the first couple of overs and that makes a huge difference, either defending a total or bowling first," concluded Paranjape.

- IANS