AB de Villiers names Hardik Pandya as India’s ‘pivotal player’ for T20 World Cup defence: ‘The guy who win you games’

Hardik Pandya of India India team huddle during the 5th T20I match between India and South Africa at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, India on December 19, 2025. (CREIMAS for BCCI)

Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has named star Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya as a key figure in India’s bid to defend their T20 World Cup title in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup set to take place on home turf.

“There are a lot of players offering skill with both bat and ball so you can really play around with the balance. I noted no Pant here, no Gill, no Jaiswal, no Jitesh, so those are the unlucky guys who missed out. Hardik will be the big pivotal player,” de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.

“He’s the guy who can win you games. When he walks out to bat, there’s a sense in the opposition like we need to get him out. Same with the ball in hand, the minute he comes on, you feel like he has a golden arm, so a great asset,” he added.

Pandya was also influential in India’s World Cup win in 2024 in the USA and the Caribbean Islands. He bowled the famous last over against South Africa in the final.

De Villiers also reasoned why Ishan Kishan — who was in red-hot form in domestic cricket, having led Jharkhand to their historic maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy — was chosen in the Indian squad as the back-up wicketkeeper ahead of opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal.

“Interesting that Ishan Kishan comes in as a wicketkeeping option. Will he play? where will he bat? Looking at the top three, there’s a bit of a headache there for them. Will Abhishek and Samson open or will Ishan fill that spot at the top? It’s that kind of squad, a mouthful, all of them are incredibly talented. Don’t know exactly where they are going to fit in,” he said.

“Ishan will be a backup wicketkeeper and remember Jaiswal is not a wicketkeeper. I think it was a difficult decision and definitely not easy. It was probably between Jaiswal and Abhishek and Abhishek’s stats speak for themselves. They felt they had to make space for a wicketkeeper batter so I don’t know what else to say about that. You need two wicketkeepers in a World Cup, that’s where he missed out,” added de Villiers.