New Delhi, June 1: Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan was a member of Indian team that won the inaugural edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2007. He was a vital cog in Team India's success in all three formats for years.
Irfan has shared Indian dressing room with some players of the present Indian side including skipper Rohit Sharma. He is confident Rohit led Indian team will make an all-out effort to win the T20 World Cup title this time, after they narrowly missed the ODI World Cup 2023 title.
As the T20 World Cup is set to kick-off from June 2 (IST) in the West Indies and USA, Irfan has expressed confidence that the Men in Blue will "give their hearts and souls" to lift the coveted trophy.
Sharing his thoughts about inclusion of both Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube in India's playing XI, Irfan said both will play different roles in the T20 World Cup 2024 for India.
Amid the debate over Pandya or Dube's inclusion in India's playing XI, the 2007 World Cup winner feels both will get opportunities to display their finishing abilities with the former being the first-choice pick while Dube would chip in the knockout stage of the tournament.
Pandya had a dismal IPL campaign only contributing 216 runs while captaining Mumbai Indians in a rough season. On the contrary, Dube amassed 396 runs including three half-centuries and at a strike rate of 162.29 for Chennai Super Kings.
"The good thing about the Indian team now is that they will get a chance to be in form before the Super 8, as we will play teams who are not at the top level apart from Pakistan. This will give us the opportunity to perform and start feeling good. Once on the big stage, if you start feeling good, it’s a different ball game altogether. I hope this happens,” Pathan said at the Star Sports Press Room.
“Talking about the best finishing options for the Indian squad, I think Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube will play different roles. Hardik will have a set role to finish the game, and Shivam Dube will play as a floater, at least in the playoffs, acting as an enforcer against the spinners. He will play that kind of role," he added.
The former cricketer addressed Pandya's dip in batting form and advised him to bring back his wider batting stance to gain his form back.
"We all know that Hardik's hitting ability has gone down, and that has happened because he probably wants to bat up the order. He used to have a bigger batting stance, a wider stance, which gives you a good base. But in the last 1.5 years, his stance has narrowed slightly. When you have that kind of stance, you have much more free movement, which you want when the ball is doing something, as far as technique is concerned. So, I really think if he wants to play that kind of role, he needs to go back to his original stance, with a wider stance, which will give him a great base for hitting," Pathan said.
Pandya picked 11 wickets, mostly in the back end of the IPL, and will be eyeing to continue his bowling form in the T20 pinnacle. The 39-year-old added that his bowling form in the later stage of the IPL will boost his confidence in the batting.
"Another thing, if he is bowling, he should get going the way he did in the last part of the IPL. It will help his batting as well because he primarily plays in the Indian team as a batting all-rounder rather than a bowling all-rounder. However, it works both ways; if you do well in one area, it boosts your confidence in the other. I’ve experienced this as an all-rounder. So, I'm confident that by the time the World Cup comes, he will sort out any issues with his hitting ability and play a major role in the tournament," the former all-rounder said.
Former players including Irfan can share their wisdom and experience in team selection or various combinations considering match situations. But Indian team management including skipper Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid will surely have the final say. There may be difference of opinions in playing XI, but there can be debate that all Indians are desperate for another ICC World Cup trophy. (With IANS support)
