Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh picked Suryakumar Yadav as the key player for India ahead of their clash with Pakistan on June 9 in the T20 World Cup 2024 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
Talking to Star Sports, Harbhajan stated that he would pick a bowler but he prefers Yadav, who has been making headlines, to be an X-factor for India in the World Cup.
"As far as I am concerned, I would go in for a great bowler, though I have my own liking towards Suryakumar Yadav. I think he is someone who could be a game-changer for India throughout this tournament. Even though, he didn't get going the other day," Harbhajan said.
“But Suryakumar Yadav, when he plays those 10 or 15 balls, he will probably score those winning runs for team India. At any position, he will go on to bat, he will play for the team. So, for me, Suryakumar Yadav would be the biggest game changer for team India in this World Cup,” he added.
Other than Yadav, Harbhajan also picked Rishabh Pant and Jasprit Bumrah to trouble Pakistan on Friday and aid India in their upcoming matches in the T20 World Cup.
“For me, as Rishabh Pant has shown, that kind of aggressive option in the top order, that is probably going to little bit take on the opposition with a number of aggressive options.
“At the same time, Bumrah. For me he is the most important guy because the way he has developed after injury, coming back from injury, back surgery, it's not that easy. He has developed into a next-level bowler after injury. That is something which is not that easy. He is going to be a big bowler in the upcoming match.”
India has had two encounters at the New York pitches with their first being the Bangladesh warm-up game and their T20 World Cup opener against Ireland. They won both of their encounters with ease.
India won their first encounter of the tournament against Ireland by eight wickets as they easily chased the target of 97 posted by the Irish in the 12.2 overs.
