Adam Gilchrist names Hardik Pandya in his top-five T20I players list

Hardik Pandya has scored 989 T20I runs for India [PC: Twitter] 

T20 cricket has revolutionised cricket in every sense. Someone who changed the dynamics of the game before the T20 format was Australia's Adam Gilchrist. 

Gilchrist displayed no regard for bowlers and thrashed them across the park, which contributed to him winning three World Cup titles.

In 13 T20Is for the Kangaroos, the wicketkeeper batter scored 272 runs at an impressive strike rate of 141.66. He also won the Indian Premier League (IPL) with the Deccan Chargers in 2009, which added to his aura.

With the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 just 13 days away, the 50-year-old named his top five players in T20 cricket who could find a place in his World XI speaking on ICC's podcast. 

Interestingly, only one Indian player made it to Gilchrist's list — Hardik Pandya, who is enjoying a magnificent 2022. 

Pandya, so far, has played 73 T20Is for India, amassing 989 runs, and claimed 54 wickets. 

Gilchrist on Pandya

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"Pandya is just an awesome figure straight across the board,. His ability to bat, bowl, field and entertain, he’s definitely in there.”

Apart from Pandya, the left-hander has included his former Australian teammate David Warner, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, Afghanistan's spin bowling wizard Rashid Khan, and England's swashbuckling opener-cum captain Jos Buttler in his top five. 

​The ICC T20 World Cup 2022 gets underway from October 16 in Australia.

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