Hardik Pandya is a fighter but it's too early to compare him with Kapil Dev, says Sourav Ganguly

Hardik Pandya is a fighter but it's too early to compare him with Kapil Dev, says Sourav Ganguly

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Written by: SportsCafe Desk

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BCCI

Sourav Ganguly has lauded Hardik Pandya's performance in the ODI series against Australia but was quick to add that the Kapil Dev comparisons were not justified. Ganguly has also praised the BCCI for picking "ability over age" while referring Ashish Nehra's selection for the upcoming T20 series.

Pandya has represented India in 26 ODIs so far in his short career scoring 530 runs and claiming 29 wickets. His versatility was on display in the recently concluded ODI series against Australia, where he was asked to bat at a number of positions, and ended up scoring 222 runs in five matches, including 2 half centuries. His performances drew the attention of the several senior cricketers with some going as far as to compare the 23-year-old to the legendary Kapil Dev. 

“Hardik Pandya has the qualities to help this Indian team but don’t compare him with Kapil Dev at the moment. Kapil Dev was an absolute champion. We will talk about it 10-15 years down the line once Pandya keeps playing that long. Let’s enjoy his cricket, he is a good cricketer, he is a positive cricketer. He’s a fighter and he has got heart when he plays cricket. That’s what you look in a young cricketer. I wish him all the best, hopefully, he continues to do good work for Virat Kohli,” Ganguly told India Today.

After securing a 4-1 victory in the five-match ODI series, India will now play the Aussies in three T20Is starting October 7 in Ranchi. For the upcoming series, the Indian selectors picked 39-year-old Nehra in the 15-member squad. The Delhi pacer was recalled to the squad for the first time since the T20 series against England after being snubbed for the Carribean and Sri Lankan tours. Ganguly praised the management's step of recalling the veteran whilst calling Nehra an exceptional T20 bowler.

“It’s a good news for Indian cricket that they have picked the ability and not age. He is an exceptional T20 bowler. We saw him in last T20 World Cup. He is a left armer and he creates a different angle. I think he will come out with flying colours in this series as well,” said Ganguly.

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