Chandigarh: Amidst all the failures for India in the lost Test match in Newlands, Hardik Pandya’s performance has been a big positive and it has earned praise from the legendary Kapil Dev who lauded young all-rounder’s, “promise and commitment.”
India were reeling at 92/7 when Pandya walked in with the willow and played a gritty 93-run knock of 95 balls that lifted the visitors to 209 in their first innings. He also returned with he ball in the second innings and removed openers Dean Elgar and Aiden Markram on the second day itself to help India claw back into the contest.
“He has done an exceptional job in the first innings for India with his knock. He shows promise and commitment,” said Kapil, at a promotional event at the Chandigarh Press Club.
“Despite being 24 and an amateur in Test innings, he did not succumb to pressure and took on the challenge,” he added.
When asked about Pandya being compared to him, Kapil felt that it is better to not put any pressure on the young Baroda all-rounder by making such comparisons.
“It is not fair to compare two cricketers. He has his own style and approach. Let’s not put pressure on Pandya by making comparisons. He is doing a fine job with the ball and bat for the Indian team. We should let such talented cricketers perform and bloom as top-class cricketers. I think cricketers of modern era are much better than the previous ones. Youngsters are doing well for Indian cricket,” said the 1983 World Cup winning skipper.
The iconic all-rounder had a career that spanned for over two decades where he amassed 5248 runs and 434 wickets in 131 Test matches. He also played 225 ODI matched where he scored 3783 runs and had 253 wickets to his name. Ever since his retirement, the Indian team have been in the lookout for a fast bowling all-rounder and Pandya’s all-round performances made people tout him as Kapil’s successor in the Indian team.
“There wasn’t something missing when India didn’t have Pandya because I feel, having an all-rounder is a bonus but not having one isn’t a drawback. The presence of all-rounders gives the captain an extra choice in both departments of batting and bowling but that also comes with double pressure of taking wickets and scoring runs. When I started, I did play matches at number 11. I did improve my batting because a bowler has to bat eventually but not all batsmen can bowl. I was fortunate enough that I excelled in both departments,” said Kapil.
The former Indian skipper also had his say on the Indian team’s performance in South Africa. The Proteas won the match by 72 runs after the batting heavy Indian team failed to chase down 208 runs.
“It is not that the team isn’t playing well but that they can do better. It is the same with other teams. When they come to India, they can barely play on spinning tracks. It is also unfair to depend on two players for success as there are 11 who play and 5 who sit outside. If something goes wrong, everyone is responsible. If Virat Kohli got out, there is still no batsman with his numbers out there,” said Kapil.