Hardik Pandya Scrapped From India Match-Winners List Before T20 World Cup Super 8

Hardik Pandya with teammates [Source: @BCCI/x]

Team India stormed into the Super 8s of the T20 World Cup 2026 on a trail of an unbeaten run under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav. With contributions flowing from across the squad, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Bangar has now identified three pillars he believes can anchor India’s charge in the business end of the tournament.

Interestingly, Bangar did not pick Hardik Pandya despite the all-rounder’s consistent impact with both bat and ball in the group stage.

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Ex-cricketer names Ishan Kishan as one of two Indian batters to watch out for

While speaking on the Star Sports show ‘Follow the Blues’, Sanjay Bangar picked blistering in-form opener Ishan Kishan as one of India’s three most critical players for the remainder of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

The former cricketer added that with Abhishek Sharma struggling for runs, the onus of providing fiery top-order starts for India will largely rest on Kishan’s shoulders.

He said, “From here on, three players who are going to be extremely critical to India's journey in this T20 World Cup are going to be men in form, and that's where I feel Ishan Kishan, the way he has been batting. Considering the lack of runs from Abhishek Sharma, the onus now falls on Ishan Kishan to give those explosive starts. That is player number one.”

Ignoring Hardik Pandya, the Indian commentator also named Suryakumar Yadav in his assessment, rightfully acknowledging that the Indian skipper has found form just at the right time for his national team. He added, “Player number two is Suryakumar Yadav. He has scored runs in most of the games on a consistent basis, understanding the situation of the game.”

Compatible to Bangar’s claims, both Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav have emerged has India’s most successful batters from the Group stage matches. Kishan has aggregated 176 runs in just four innings at an average of 44, which included a match-winning 40-ball 77 against arch-rivals Pakistan in Colombo earlier this week.

Suryakumar, on the other hand, started off his campaign with a mercurial 49-ball 84* against USA to pull Team India out of a certain jail.

Bangar ignores spin, picks Jasprit Bumrah

Even though spin has played a crucial role in India’s success so far at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, Sanjay Bangar named fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah as a key figure in the side’s plans for the Super 8s and the impending knockouts.

Ignoring leading wicket-takers Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel, the cricket expert said “The third player is going to be Jasprit Bumrah. Everybody is talking about the spin aspect of this Indian team, but I believe that Jasprit Bumrah is going to hold the key when the match is on the line as far as bowling is concerned.”

Hardik Pandya ignored despite silent all-round heroics

While Hardik Pandya failed to make it Sanjay Bangar’s ‘Super 3’ ahead of the ‘Super 8’ stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, the seasoned all-rounder has silently strengthened India’s campaign with timely contributions across departments.

With the ball, the 32-year-old has picked up five wickets, which included match-winning spells against Namibia and Pakistan in successive games. Hardik Pandya also slapped a swift 52 against Namibia and a six-laden 30 against Netherlands in Ahmedabad a couple of days ago.

India to face South Africa in Group 1 opener

With four wins in four matches, Team India became the first side from Group A to qualify for the Super 8 stage of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Suryakumar Yadav and co. will now face Group D winners South Africa in their first Super 8 match on Sunday, February 22.

The match also marks the opening Group 1 affair of the tournament and it will be hosted by the grand Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

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