India captain Rohit Sharma said on Tuesday that the form of Hardik Pandya will be crucial for the team in its attempt to win an elusive ICC trophy.
The premier all-rounder, who has been named vice-captain of the World Cup-bound squad, has been saddled with leadership duties at various levels.
Pandya had led India in the second and third ODIs against West Indies in the absence of rested Rohit and is also the leader of the side in the shortest format.
바카라His form will be crucial to us. He바카라s a guy who does both things (batting and bowling), and that바카라s important.
바카라In the last year or so he has come up with the bat and his bowling has been good too. That바카라s important for us,바카라 said Rohit after chief selector Ajit Agarkar named a 15-member squad for the mega event in India.
Rohit was also pleased with Pandya after the latter made a composed fifty in India바카라s Asia Cup opener against Pakistan on Saturday here.
Pandya and Kishan constructed a century stand to rescue India from a precarious 66 for 4 and carried the team to 266 in a rain-marred match.
바카라You saw the quality in the last game against Pakistan. Ishan and Hardik put their hands up and scored well. Obviously, with bowling too he바카라s great. He has bowled well in the last year and a half for us.
바카라The way he batted in the last game showed that he has a very mature head on his shoulders. These are good signs for us,바카라 said Rohit.
Rohit has not forgotten that India바카라s record in the multi-nation tournaments is not up to scratch in the last few years with the last ICC trophy coming way back in 2013.
But he hoped that the ODI format will give his side a bit of breathing space and a chance to come back even if the start goes awry.
바카라The 50-over format is different, especially where you play nine league games and semifinals and finals -- 11 games. There바카라s always a chance for you to make a comeback.
바카라The format gives you more time to think about strategy and what you바카라re going to execute as a team. You have less time in the T20 format. Yes, the ODIs do give you a little more breathing space,바카라 said Rohit.
Rohit also expressed satisfaction about the chosen 15 for the World Cup and termed it a perfectly balanced side.
바카라We바카라re happy. This is the best we can do with balance and depth. We have three all-rounders in the team, 4 bowlers and six batters.
바카라We have thought about it a lot and named this squad. This is the best combination for us,바카라 he added.
India will play Pakistan in a highly-anticipated World Cup match in Ahmedabad on October 14, but Rohit said the players are not thinking overtly about the game.
바카라We don바카라t care about what is said outside. All the boys are professionals and they have seen all this. It doesn바카라t make a huge difference,바카라 said Rohit.