"We all were saying Sanju Samson would play" - Harbhajan Singh on India getting the best out of Rishabh Pant at T20 World Cup

Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh believes Rishabh Pant's impact at No. 3 is one of the biggest positives for the Men in Blue ahead of their Super 8 phase of the T20 World Cup. Pant contributed a crucial 96 runs across his three innings in tough batting conditions in New York.

Harbhajan shed light on the incredible IPL 2024 season that Sanju Samson had and how many experts felt that it would be him who would don the gloves and not Pant. However, he praised the team management for getting the best out of the swashbuckling left-hander.

Here's what Harbhajan Singh said on Star Sports:

"Rishabh Pant's role was completely changed when he was asked to bat at No. 3. We all were saying Sanju Samson would play (as wicketkeeper) before this World Cup because he had scored a lot of runs. But the Pant experiment working at No. 3 is a big positive. The left-right combination works well when Rishabh Pant plays at No. 3."

Harbhajan also hailed the way India made a comeback in their T20 World Cup encounter against Pakistan. He earmarked Jasprit Bumrah's outstanding spell and felt Mohammad Rizwan's wicket was the turning point that brought the Men in Blue roaring back into the game.

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Harbhajan Singh on Hardik Pandya's contribution

Hardik Pandya is India's highest wicket-taker in the tournament so far with seven scalps from three games at a fantastic economy rate of 5.41. Harbhajan Singh lauded the all-rounder for exceeding the expectations, saying:

"Hardik Pandya picking up wickets is the biggest positive. He had come into this tournament as your fourth bowler, but his wickets tally is much better than what one would have expected from him."

The Men in Blue have reached Barbados, where they will begin their Super 8 stage with a crucial encounter against Afghanistan on June 20.