Hardik Pandya stated on Monday that winning a global championship in whatever format is his ultimate priority as he heads a revamped India Twenty20 team against Sri Lanka.
All-rounder Pandya was named captain of the 16-man squad, which will be without regular captain Rohit Sharma and star batsman Virat Kohli for the three Twenty20 matches beginning in Mumbai on Tuesday.
As India prepares to host the 50-over World Cup later this year, both Rohit and Kohli will return for the next three one-day internationals.
India is still still in contention to qualify for the World Test Championship final in June, despite having lost the inaugural tournament against New Zealand in 2021.
Pandya informed media on the eve of the Sri Lanka series that his top New Year’s objective is to win the World Cup.
India would endeavor to “get out there and provide all,” he said, adding, “I believe the outlook is favorable.”
India, headed by Rohit, were defeated by England in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in Australia last year, ruining their dreams of winning their first world championship since the 2013 Champions Trophy.
Son of Sachin Tendulkar scores a century in his first-class debut.
INDIA READY FOR A FIGHT
The 29-year-old Pandya, who guided Gujarat Titans to the Indian Premier League championship in their inaugural season, stated that he still had goals to achieve.
After recuperating from a career-threatening back ailment, he was reinstated to the national team early in 2022 and stated that it had been “a wonderful year for me.”
“In the future, there is much to accomplish. I have accomplished nothing. There will be several World Cups in multiple years, therefore winning the World Cup will always be the objective.
Sri Lanka defeated India in the Asia Cup Twenty20 event in the United Arab Emirates last year, but Pandya predicted that the tourists will not have it easy in India.
Watch as the Sydney Thunder record their lowest-ever T20 total.
Pandya stated, “We are not wanting to settle anything; we just want to play excellent cricket.”
Yes, we will make them feel as though they are in India.
Pandya wished wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant a “speedy recovery” as he receives treatment in a Dehradun hospital for injuries sustained in a terrible automobile accident last week.
»Pandya of India has made it his New Year’s resolution to win the World Cup«