Malahide (Dublin), June 27 : India’s stand-in captain for the two-match T20I series against Ireland, Hardik Pandya has praised young batter Harry Tector, saying that with “good guidance” the 22-year-old could become a big asset for his country’s cricket as well as leagues across the world.
Tector smashed an unbeaten 64 off just 33 balls in Ireland’s 108/4 in 12 overs in the rain-affected first T20I against India. His strike rate of 193.93 was only bettered by Ishan Kishan (26 off 11 balls, S/R 236.36) and Pandya (24 off 12 balls, S/R 200).
While India went on to win the match by seven wickets with 16 balls to spare, Pandya spoke freely of Tector’s superb innings during his post-match press conference and even revealed he gave the right-hander one of his bats that he hopes he may be able to use in a future edition of the IPL.
“He played some fantastic shots, and obviously, he’s 22, I’ve given him a bat as well, so maybe he can score some more sixes and maybe get an IPL contract, and I wish him luck,” Pandya said.
It’s not the first time that Tector has caught the eye on the big stage, with Ireland’s No.4 also performing well for his country at the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in 2018. Tector was Ireland’s second-highest run scorer at that tournament in New Zealand, with his match-winning 101 against Namibia in Lincoln a clear highlight, according to ICC.
Pandya thinks the future is bright for Tector, providing he continues to work hard at his game and receives the correct advice from people in the know.
“Just look after him well, give him the right guidance. It’s not always about cricket; it’s about understanding your whole lifestyle and what is at stake. If you can manage that, I’m sure he’s going to be around — not just in IPL, in all the leagues in the world,” said Pandya.
