ICC World Cup 2019 | Gautam Gambhir bats for Hardik Pandya promotion in batting line-up

Explosive all-rounder Hardik Pandya had a brilliant outing at this year’s Indian Premier League and carried on that momentum at the ongoing ICC World Cup 2019. Pandya is thrashing the best bowlers in the business to help India win matches. He began the tournament with a decent game against South Africa with the ball and continued the same approach in the remaining games of the tournament to seal matches for India.

Former India World Cup winner Gautam Gambhir heaped praise on the Mumbai Indians all-rounder as the former added that Pandya deserved promotion in the batting line-up for the remainder of the tournament.

"I just feel India will not be too keen to play the current third-placed team England in the semifinals. It is a bit uncontrollable but if the script was to be perfect then India should finish number one and play fourth-ranked team which in all likelihood is going to be New Zealand.

"This game gives India one more opportunity which is to settle their middle order. Currently they are playing Rishabh Pant at number 4. My thoughts are if Hardik Pandya is hitting them the way he is hitting them, then he deserves more air time in the middle. I love his plans. He goes deep in the crease, waits with a strong base, still head and then whacks it from any length that is presented. Not in terms of volume of runs but in sheer approach and methodology he reminds me of South Africa's Lance Klusener during the 1999 World Cup," Gambhir wrote in his column for TOI.

Gambhir, who played 147 ODIs and 58 Tests, also gave his two cents over the under-fire MS Dhoni. The former KKR captain claimed that Dhoni’s supporters will have to develop realistic expectations from their idol in the coming weeks.

"There is a lot being said about MS Dhoni and his approach in last year or so. His blatant turn down for singles, inability to find fence during key moments has left a lot of observers frustrated. The fans are confused whether to decry or support Dhoni at this juncture of his career. From where I am looking at it, it is pretty obvious that he wants to leave the scene with a bang but is not able to convert his intent into actions. It is a classic case of one time CEO trying to crack a deal but his faculties are not supporting him.

"I think his admirers need to set their expectations right. He will give you one odd moment of brilliance but to do it six days a week is impossible. But then how should India use him in coming games? It's simple: just erase the finisher tag from his CV and you will still get a Dhoni who is worth his weight in gold. If he wants to retire from the World Cup, just give him a deserving send-off and start working on life after Dhoni. This will be tough but something that Indian cricket and its fans must start thinking about," Gambhir added.