Just imagine if India has Pandya and Pant at five or six: Sunil Gavaskar

After two and half months of IPL, it's time to witness the Indian players in international cricket now as the Men in Blue are set to face South Africa in a five-match T20I series starting from 9th June. 

As expected, the premier Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya has made a comeback into the national side following his spectacular returns in the IPL 2022. The return of Hardik has given the Indian think tank some headache regarding the batting position of the players. 

When asked about Hardik's possible batting position in the series, the former Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar expected the Baroda-born to be slotted at number five or six in India's power-packed batting lineup. 

Speaking to Star Sports, Gavaskar stressed that it would be a boon for India to have Hardik and Rishabh as their number five and six as both these batters possess the ability to destroy the opposition's bowling unit in the blink of an eye. 

Further, the legendary Indian opener went on to say that if these two batters enter the middle at around the 14th over, they can smash even 100-120 runs in the remaining six overs. 

"I think he'll probably be slotted at five or six. Just imagine if India has a Hardik Pandya and a Rishabh Pant at five or six. They can probably swap around a little bit that is going to be some explosive combination from the 14th to the 20th over," 

Gavaskar said. "In six overs, you can probably expect even 100-120 runs. They are capable of doing that. So, that's going to be an exciting aspect. That's something I'm really looking forward to Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya batting at five or six," the 72-year-old concluded. 

Hardik, who led Gujarat Titans to their maiden IPL title in their debut season, finished the tournament as the highest run-getter of his team with 487 runs at a tremendous average of 44.27. 

He exhibited his sense of game awareness to the fullest and played some really impactful knocks for the defending champions coming at critical junctures of the match. Moreover, he bowled at an excellent pace in the tournament, which was definitely encouraging from team India's perspective. 

On the other hand, Rishabh Pant also looked in decent touch in the tournament as the DC skipper amassed 340 runs at a magnificent strike rate of 151.78. 

We all know how aggressive Hardik and Pant are. With many top order options available in the 18-member squad, it's pretty understandable that these two batters will play as India's finishers in the series.