Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik has named all-rounder Hardik Pandya as a main player for India in the upcoming men's T20 World Cup in UAE and Oman in October and November.

"For India, when you want to win big tournaments you need characters, people who are up for a fight. For me that is Hardik Pandya. He is there with the ball, he is there with the bat and he plays a critical role with the bat because every time India has floundered a little bit or wants to up their run-rate he is the guy. He can hit most bowlers to most parts of the ground. T20 batting is a lot about bat speed and he has a plenty of that. Even his bowling is very clever. He's gone on to become a leader of the pack, you can see him talking a lot on the ground, helping out other bowlers. For me he is going to be very critical," said Karthik in an ICC Digital Show.