'Hardik Pandya is a Complete Allrounder But no One is Perfect': Former Pakistan Cricketer Says His Statement Was Misconstrued

Having successfully overcome his fitness struggles, Hardik Pandya continues to polish his reputation as a world-class allrounder thanks to consistent performances across departments and formats. While a Test recall still seems far away, Pandya continues to churn out impressive performances in ODIs and T20Is.

His career is on an upward trajectory ever since he led IPL debutant Gujarat Titans to title win last year following which he began consistently leading India in T20Is with few even predicting him to succeed Rohit Sharma as the full-time white-ball captain.

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Former Pakistan allrounder Abdul Razzaq had ruffled feathers three years back when he said Pandya is nowhere near Kapil Dev. However, he has now clarified his statement saying it was wrongly interpreted.

“My earlier statement on Hardik Pandya was taken the wrong way,” Razzaq told Times of India. “I didn’t mean it. As a cricketer, I just said there is scope for improvement in him (Pandya). I didn’t comment on a player who is from India, England, or Australia. I just said things as a cricketer. If Kapil Dev says that he wants to give advice to Abdul Razzaq, I will take this statement positively.”

“He can work on a couple of things which according to him are areas of improvement – in terms of foot movement, bat movement, and how to judge a delivery before it is bowled. That was what I meant earlier. That was just a statement as a former all-rounder. People took it the wrong way and criticised me as well,” he added.

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Citing the examples of legends including the likes of Kapil, Imran Khan and Wasim Akram, Razzaq says every cricketer has a scope for improvement.

“Hardik is a complete all-rounder but no one is perfect. Everyone needs improvement in certain areas. When I was playing, I also lacked certain things. Wasim Akram was the same, Imran Khan was the same, Kapil Dev was the same. But still, we consider them all to be greats of the game,” Razzaq said.

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