NEW DELHI: Former off-spinner
Harbhajan Singh
praised India's performance in the
T20 World Cup
group stage, citing
Hardik Pandya
's unexpectedly strong bowling display and
Rishabh Pant
's strong run at number three as some of the major takeaways from the tournament thus far.
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India advanced to the Super Eight stage by winning all of their league group matches.
Prior to the cancellation of their last league match against Canada because of a wet pitch in Florida,
Rohit Sharma
and his team defeated Ireland, Pakistan and the United States.
"The biggest positive is that Hardik Pandya took the wicket. He was the fourth bowler in this tournament. But if you look at his wicket tally, he has done much better than what was expected of him," Harbhajan said on 'Star Sports', according to PTI.
Pandya, who entered the World Cup following a disastrous IPL run, has taken seven wickets in as many games and bowled with intensity, allaying any doubts about his fitness.
Pant, who is returning to the international scene after escaping a potentially fatal car accident in 2022, has also been playing well, with a strike rate of 124.67 in the competition.
"Along with him, Rishabh Pant played at number 3. His role was completely changed. Before this World Cup, we were saying that
Sanju Samson
will play in the team because he has made big runs.
"To make Rishabh Pant play at number three is a big positive. Left-Right combination is formed when Rishabh Pant plays at number three," Harbhajan said on Pant's promotion up the order.
On June 20, India will take on Afghanistan in
Barbados
as part of their Super Eight campaign. Given that the team has played all of its prior games in the USA, Harbhajan claimed it is capable of handling the challenge of unfamiliar circumstances.
"There are a lot of positives. Of course, there are challenges and difficulties. But the challenges come in front of those who are brave. This team is a team of brave players.
"They fought well and played very well. Because of this, they topped the group," he said.
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