Dubai : India's star all-rounder Hardik Pandya has proved himself to be one of the most reliable clutch players for Team India over the years. He will be a key figure in the upcoming Asia Cup, which begins on Tuesday, and there are a few milestones that Pandya might aim to achieve during the tournament.
The 31-year-old has played 114 T20Is, scoring 1,812 runs at a staggering strike rate of 141.67, including five half-centuries. He is closing in on the 2,000-run milestone in T20Is, as he needs just 188 more runs. The Asia Cup could provide the perfect platform for Pandya to reach that landmark.
With the ball, Pandya has been equally impactful, currently sitting on 94 wickets and needing just six more to complete a century of T20I scalps. His best bowling figures in the format stand at 4/16.
Team India's quest for Asian supremacy will start from September 10 against the UAE, with the hotly anticipated India-Pakistan clash taking place on September 14. India will play their last league match against the UAE on September 19. The Super Four stage will start on September 20.
After the group stage, the tournament will proceed to the Super 4, where the top two teams from each group will qualify. If India finishes at the top of Group A, then all of their Super 4 matches will be held in Dubai. If India finishes second, then one of their Super 4 clashes will be held in Abu Dhabi and the remaining two in Dubai. The Super 4 stage will run from September 20 to 26. Dubai will host the final, which is scheduled for September 28.
Team India squad for Asia Cup: Surya Kumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku SinghReserve players: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Yashasvi Jaiswal.