"He bowled his 4 overs on the trot" - Sunil Gavaskar hails Hardik Pandya for fine bowling performance in India vs Ireland T20 World Cup clash

Former Indian legendary opener Sunil Gavaskar has heaped praise on all-rounder Hardik Pandya for his impressive returns on his international comeback against Ireland in the T20 World Cup encounter in New York. Hardik last played a game for India during the 2023 World Cup where he injured his ankle against Bangladesh and was ruled out of the tournament.

However, he returned with fine figures of 3/27 against the Irish on Wednesday, June 5 and played a major role in bundling the opposition out for just 97 runs. Apart from the wickets and the economy, Gavaskar was delighted to see Hardik bowl a longer spell, thus providing proof of his fitness level.

Speaking to Star Sports after the game, here's what Sunil Gavaskar said about Hardik Pandya:

"When you are playing for India it's huge. It's humongous. The way he was running in, what was impressive was that he bowled his four overs on the trot. Not that he bowled two overs and took a break. That is a test that also had to be run. He has also come through that test very, very impressively."

Hardik had a pretty tough time in the IPL 2024 season as his return to the Mumbai Indians wasn't smooth sailing by any means. He faced a lot of flak from the crowd due to the captaincy transition and also wasn't able to perform at the level he is known for.

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Hardik Pandya on his performance against Ireland

Hardik Pandya was delighted that he was able to perform for India at a World Cup once again and is hopeful that he can continue this form. Of his three wickets, Hardik particularly liked the way he cleaned up Lorcan Tucker with a fuller delivery that hit the batter's middle stump.

Here's what the all-rounder told the host broadcaster after the end of Ireland's innings:

"I really liked the first wicket. Generally, don't hit the stumps often, I have a tendency to bowl back of a length. But on this wicket, I needed to be a lot fuller to be in the game. Yes, if you bowl short, the ball may fly."

Hardik Pandya has also shown signs of returning to form with the bat, scoring 40 off just 23 balls against Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup warm-up fixture.