'He Has a Very Mature Head on His...': Rohit Sharma 'Praises' Hardik Pandya 

image-lm7gyohrPandya scored 87 off 90 against Pakistan [AP Photo]

On Tuesday, India named a strong 15-man squad for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, which will be captained by Rohit Sharma. The highly-anticipated ten-nation tournament will be played in India starting next month and will see all-rounder Hardik Pandya act as Sharma's deputy.

Pandya, who has been successful at the franchise level with leading Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be tested under crunch situations. Speaking about Pandya, the 36-year-old showered praise for the former Mumbai Indians (MI) player while explaining his importance for India in the competition. 

As said to Star Sports, Sharma highlighted Pandya's recent knock against Pakistan in Asia Cup 2023, where the all-rounder struck a valiant 87 off 90 with India in deep trouble.

Here's what Sharma said

“His form will be crucial to us. He’s a guy who does both things (batting and bowling), and that’s important. In the last year or so he has come up with the bat and his bowling has been good too. That’s important for us,

You saw the quality in the last game against Pakistan. Ishan and Hardik put their hands up and scored well. Obviously, with bowling too he’s great. He has bowled well in the last year and a half for us. The way he batted in the last game showed that he has a very mature head on his shoulders. These are good signs for us."

India begin its World Cup tourney on October 8, taking on five-time winners Australia. Meanwhile, Sharma and Pandya will be in action on September 10, when India meets Pakistan in Super Fours in Asia Cup 2023.