The only replacement for Hardik Pandya is Hardik Pandya himself: Parthiv Patel

As Hardik Pandya returns to the Indian team after an injury break, the Suryakumar Yadav-led unit is expected to be benefitted by his presence for the upcoming five-match series against South Africa, commencing on December 9 in Cuttack. With the return, Parthiv Patel has lavished massive praise on the star cricketer and how he is going to play a crucial role, if the Men in Blue are to excel in white-ball formats.

Parthiv has said that Hardik is someone who has built his reputation of being a fierce striker with the bat, however, he possesses an equal ability with the ball in his hands as well. Hardik, who has been bowling in the powerplay for quite some time now, is India's man with the golden arm, the former wicketkeeper-batter has claimed.

"When you talk about Hardik Pandya's ability to swing the ball, that is obviously underestimated by a lot of teams. We talk about the golden arm. That's Hardik Pandya for you. He took the wicket of Klaasen and turned it around for India [in the final of the T20 World Cup 2024]. He is someone who always likes to be in the contest," shared Parthiv while speaking on Star Sports.

Parthiv went as far as saying that there is no one who can replace the Baroda all-rounder other than he himself. The erstwhile wicketkeeper-batter also underscored how crucial the 32-year-old is to the side's 2026 T20 World Cup campaign, where Suryakumar Yadav & Co. will also be defending the title from the previous edition.

"He wants to bowl with the new ball. He wants to bowl those difficult overs, and that is the reason why there is none like Hardik Pandya. There is no replacement for Hardik Pandya. Hardik Pandya's replacement is Hardik Pandya. If he gets unfit, make him fit for the [T20] World Cup, and he is going to be a very, very important player for India," he added.

India will square off against South Africa in a five-match T20I series, which is scheduled to commence on December 9. Hardik was named in the 15-member squad, along with a few other returning players. He was out for a while due to an injury in the left quadriceps, which was sustained during India's title-winning Asia Cup in the UAE earlier this year. Prior to the T20Is, he featured for Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.