Hardik Pandya is Team India's upcoming superstar, believes Virender Sehwag
Virender Sehwag has praised Hardik Pandya’s latest performance against Australia in the ODI series calling him the upcoming superstar of Indian cricket. Sehwag also believes that if Pandya continues to perform the same way then India’s search for an all-rounder will come to an end.
With a win in the final match in Nagpur, India secured ODI series against Australia 4-1. Pandya won the man of the series for his exceptional performance with both bat and ball, 222 runs with the bat and six wickets in five matches. Former Indian cricketer Sehwag impressed by the 23-year-old’s performance and called him Team India’s upcoming superstar.
"I am really impressed with Hardik Pandya's performance in the series vs Australia. He has completed his quota of 10 overs in every match excluding the last match... the way he has bowled and batted in the entire series is commendable. If he continues to do that in future, I think India's search for the all-rounder will conclude. I think he is Team India's upcoming superstar," Sehwag told India TV.
His performance in the first two games resulted in the team management showing confidence in the 23-year-old's abilities and promoted him to the No. 4 spot. Pandya repaid the faith shown in hims with a brilliant knock of 78 runs. After the series, Team India’s head coach Ravi Shastri compared Pandya to Yuvraj Singh while some others went as far as to compare him to legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev. But Sehwag felt that it is too early to compare the Baroda cricketer with the legendary players but added that he believed that Pandya has the capability to break several records in his career.
"It is still a long way to go for Pandya to be compared with the likes of Yuvraj or the great Kapil Dev. As both these stalwarts have achieved great success in the cricketing career. It will not be an easy task for Pandya to break the records of Kapil Dev who has achieved so much in his illustrious cricket career.
"I think if Pandya manages to play as long as Kapil Paaji played for India, it will be a big achievement for the wiry all-rounder. And, I am sure if Hardik plays that long, he will himself break quite a few records on the way.
"Pandya is such a player who can be used at any position, he perfectly plays the role of the floater and can bat at No.4, No.5, No.6. He bats at a strike rate of more than 100 which is not an easy thing to do, and the way he bats against the spinners is simply a treat to watch," he said.