All-rounder Hardik Pandya sweats out ahead of T20 World Cup 2024
New York [USA], May 31 (ANI): Star India all-rounder Hardik Pandya was seen during the net practice ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2024, which will be starting on June 1.
Ahead of the mega event, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a glimpse of Team India sweating it out in the net practice session. Pandya was seen practising with both bat and ball in the nets.
“Preps in full swing. Getting into the groove ahead of the #T20WorldCup,” BCCI wrote on X while sharing the clip.
Hardik displayed a poor performance in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 with the Mumbai Indians.
In 14 matches, Pandya scored 216 runs at an average of 18.00 and a strike rate of 143.04, with the best score of 46. He also took 11 wickets at a poor average of 35.18 and an economy rate of 10.75.
India will start their T20 World Cup campaign on June 5 against Ireland at the newly constructed Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
Meanwhile, the most-awaited blockbuster clash between India and Pakistan will take place on June 9. They will later play tournament co-hosts USA (June 12) and Canada (June 15) to wrap up their Group A matches.
In the tournament, India will be aiming to end their ICC trophy drought, having last won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. Since then, India has reached the 50-over World Cup final in 2023, semifinal in 2015 and 2019, the title clash of the ICC World Test Championship in 2021 and 2023, T20 WC final in 2014, semifinals in 2016 and 2022 but failed to secure a big ICC trophy.
India squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Hardik Pandya (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj
Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan.