Batting great Sunil Gavaskar believes medium pacer Harshal Patel could be the trump card for skipper Rohit Sharma in the upcoming T20Is. World cup. After years of struggle, Harshal managed to make it to India’s team last year after a breakthrough IPL 2021 where he won the Purple Cap to claim 32 scales. He made his debut against New Zealand last year and has since cemented his place in India’s T20 squad. He has taken 18 wickets in 13 T20Is.
Harshal was also the leading wicket-taker in the recently concluded T20I series against South Africa.
Read also | ‘Wanted to do special training, enrolled myself in a club’: Gavaskar reveals Dinesh Karthik’s hard work
crew India Still auditioning players for the T20 World Cup and in the absence of senior players like Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami, Harshal is putting in an exceptional performance with the ball for them.
Gavaskar feels that a bowler like Harshal gives the captain an edge as he can be used in both powerplays and slog overs with his smart variations.
“He will be one of the trump cards because you also have Bhuvneshwar, Shami and Bumrah. It’s great for a captain to have someone like him depend on, he can come in and bowl in the powerplays as well where people are going now with a change of pace. So yes he should definitely be part of the group,” he said.
In IPL 2022, Harshal was one of the best bowlers in the death overs in the entire tournament. He took 19 wickets at an economy rate of 7.66.
Read also | England were on the backfoot in 2021, but they are playing really good cricket now: Rahul Dravid
Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith also backed Herschel for a place in India’s T20 World Cup squad and said that he is a huge asset to the team with his calm nature under pressure.
“He has been excellent. No skill whatsoever in the death overs with slow deliveries… but I think from game 3 he found his right length and took wickets and kept the pressure on South Africa. He has the skills of an all-rounder bowler. Roop has all the skills and he is a huge asset to the team and handles pressure very well and is a clear thinker under pressure,” he said.
Get all the latest updates cricket news, cricket pictures, cricket videos And cricket score Here