Hardik Pandya is a renowned cricketer in modern day cricket. The all-rounder has led the new franchise, Gujarat Titans, to the IPL championship in their maiden season. He himself performed brilliantly, with both bat and ball. And now he is back with the Indian team against South Africa for the five-match T20I series. He will be seen taking the responsibility of the vice-captain and will look to lead the team in many ways.
The 28-year-old started his career with a good amount of success. But his injury-prone body and his fitness level have led him to miss many games for the team. He last played a game for India in the UAE in the T20I World Cup. But now he is back with a totally new avatar. He is batting up the order and scoring runs consistently while also bowling his quota of four overs in the match. The comparison between him and Kapil Dev has once again started. However, the all-rounder has something else to say.
“I can’t come close to Kapil Dev” – Hardik Pandya
Hardik has been in good form recently, scoring 487 runs and taking eight wickets in the TATA IPL 2022. He promoted himself to No. 4 and played really well. He can also play as a finisher for the team. In an interview with SG Podcast, Hardik said,
“I have very respectfully denied that (comparisons with Kapil Dev) because I don’t think I am close to him. What he did and the era in which he did it, I have always mentioned, that if I achieve even five per cent of what I have done… I have still not achieved that five per cent. So, for me, it’s people and pundits’ jobs to compare.”
After a strong start to his international career, Hardik was hampered by a back injury that prevented him from bowling at full speed for nearly three years. He decided to take a break from cricket earlier this year and attended a rehab program at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru. Hardik also said,
“For me, I am just a Hardik Pandya who is trying to get better. I can’t come close to Kapil Dev at the end of the day. It is still up to people but respectfully I will deny that.”
He concluded the conversation by saying that Kapil Dev is the greatest player of all time and he can’t match even five percent of the great World Cup winning captain of India.