Asia Cup 2022: "India have really missed him"- Rashid Khan on IPL teammate Hardik Pandya's transformation

Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan wasn't too surprised by Hardik Pandya's match-winning knock for Team India against Pakistan on Sunday (August 28). The leg-spinner believes it is the outcome of the hard yards that Pandya has put in.

The Baroda all-rounder returned figures of 3/25 in his four overs and scored a quickfire 33* off just 17 balls to chase down 148 in 19.4 overs. Courtesy of his all-round show on Sunday, Hardik was adjudged the Player of the Match.

Both Rashid and Hardik have been part of IPL 2022 champions Gujarat Titans' (GT) leadership group. So he learned a lot about the GT skipper and how he backs himself to take his team over the line.

Stay tuned for the Asia Cup 2022 teams and Squads on Sportskeeda.

Speaking to reporters on Monday (August 29), Rashid explained how Hardik Pandya's batting in the top-order for GT helped Team India get the best out of him. He said:

"In the IPL, Hardik has shown composure in crunch situations and has taken his team over the line. This is exactly what he did yesterday as he was clear to take the game till the end and then finish it off. India have really missed him in the past few games. The hard work that he has done in the IPL has really helped him a lot and the result is in front of everyone."

Speaking about how much the Baroda all-rounder loves taking on that extra responsibility, Rashid added:

"When I played with Hardik, I realized he is someone who likes to take huge responsibility and that is something that has helped him through his leadership in the IPL as a captain as well as a top four batter. So when such players take more and more responsibility, they only get better with time."

Rashid Khan on importance of all-rounders like Hardik Pandya

When asked about the importance of all-rounders, Rashid Khan gave an excellent example of both Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja, the two major contributors with the bat during India's win on Sunday.

Despite batting out of his natural position, Jadeja scored a handy 35 off 29 balls at a crucial time. Stressing on the versatility that such all-rounders show, Rashid stated:

"It becomes really handy when your all-rounder is capable of stepping up with both bat and ball. If you look at the way Hardik performed in the IPL, he batted at No.3 as well as No.4, the same thing that Jadeja did yesterday (against Pakistan). If, as a captain, you have such players, most of your problems get solved and they also provide a great balance to the team."

Is Ravindra Jadeja at No.4 and Hardik Pandya at No.5 a sustainable solution for Team India at least till the T20 World Cup? Let us know in the comments.