T20 World Cup 2022: “Look who I just met” - Rashid Khan catches up with his Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya

Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan has shared a picture with Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who is also his captain at the IPL franchise Gujarat Titans (GT).

Both cricketers are in Australia for the T20 World Cup 2022, which begins on Sunday, October 16, with a first-round match between Sri Lanka and Namibia in Geelong.

On Saturday, October 15, Rashid took to his official Instagram handle to share a couple of pictures with Pandya, in which the camaraderie between the two cricketers is quite evident.

While the pair are seen hugging in one picture, they pose for the cameras in the second. Rashid shared the image on social media with the caption:

“Look who I just met. Skipper @hardikpandya93 @gujarat_titans.”

Rashid and Pandya were among the top performers for the Gujarat Titans as the franchise lifted the IPL crown in their maiden season. The leg-spinner claimed 19 wickets in 16 matches at an average of 22.16 and an economy rate of 6.60. He also contributed 91 runs with the bat at a strike rate of over 200.

As for Pandya, the GT skipper hammered 487 runs in 15 matches at an average of 44.27 and a strike rate of 131.27. On the bowling front, he claimed eight wickets at an average of 27.75 and an economy rate of 7.28.

Pandya led from the front in the IPL 2022 final against the Rajasthan Royals (RR). He claimed 3/17 with the ball and then scored 34 off 30 as GT thumped RR by seven wickets, chasing 131.

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“Pandya would be the main player for Team India” - Suresh Raina

Former India cricketer Suresh Raina reckons that Pandya would be Team India’s “main” weapon during the T20 World Cup Down Under. According to Raina, the all-rounder’s role will be crucial with both bat and ball. He was quoted as saying by PTI:

“Remember Pandya would be the main player for Team India. He will bowl those crucial overs in the powerplay and some in the middle and his role would be most important when he comes on to bat, when we would be needing 60-70 runs off 30 balls. So his role would be very important for Team India to win the World Cup."

He, however, added that the all-rounder should not be put under too much pressure, especially with the bat. Urging the top four to do the bulk of the scoring, Raina said:

“The opening partnership between Rohit and KL (Rahul) will be very, very crucial, they have all the big shots in their repertoire. Then we have the likes of Virat (Kohli), Surya (Suryakumar Yadav) in the top four."

India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign by taking on arch-rivals Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on October 23.