Team India returns to action later tonight when the side takes on South Africa in the first of five T20Is. The opening match of the series takes place at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi; however, before the match, India endured twin setbacks as the side's captain KL Rahul, as well as left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav were ruled out due to injuries. Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was named the new captain of the team, while all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who made a return to the side for the first time since the last year's T20 World Cup, was announced as Pant's deputy.
Pandya earned the comeback through consistent performances in the recently-concluded 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League, where he finished as the fourth-highest run-getter. The all-rounder led Gujarat Titans to title victory, as the side defeated Rajasthan Royals in the final of the season last month. And former India bowler Zaheer Khan, who had worked closely with Pandya during the latter's stint at Mumbai Indians, believes that the 28-year-old star will be player to watch out for in the South Africa T20Is.
“The key player from India for sure, only one player comes to my mind and that is Hardik Pandya. The last we saw him play for India was in the World Cup. He's had a good run in the IPL and is coming off a high from those performances and the leadership qualities which he has shown. I'm sure he will be looking forward to the big World Cup later this year. This is certainly going to be a lot of expectations from him (in) this series, looking at how he is shaping up,” Zaheer said on Cricbuzz.
{{/usCountry}}“The key player from India for sure, only one player comes to my mind and that is Hardik Pandya. The last we saw him play for India was in the World Cup. He's had a good run in the IPL and is coming off a high from those performances and the leadership qualities which he has shown. I'm sure he will be looking forward to the big World Cup later this year. This is certainly going to be a lot of expectations from him (in) this series, looking at how he is shaping up,” Zaheer said on Cricbuzz.
{{/usCountry}}The former India pacer also insisted that the focus will be on the T20 World Cup, which takes place in Australia in October-November later this year.
“International cricket is back, that is something which is exciting. Now the whole focus is going to be on what happens in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. I'm really looking forward to it as well.,” said Zaheer.