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'If I can achieve even 5 percent of what he has done...': Hardik Pandya opens up on comparisons with Kapil Dev
While plenty has been spoken about the similarities between Kapil Dev and Hardik Pandya, the 28-year-old India all-rounder has politely turned the comparisons down.
It has been 28 years since the legendary Kapil Dev retired. In close to three decades, the Indian cricket team is yet to produce another all-rounder of his calibre. In between, there have been candidates, such as Irfan Pathan, and currently Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya, but the search of the next Kapil Dev still continues. However, with Hardik's rapid rise, there were comparisons being made between him and Kapil. Hardik's flamboyant batting and medium pace was something that convinced people to see shades of Kapil in the India all-rounder but to put Pandya in the same bracket at this stage would be pre-mature.
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While plenty has been spoken about the similarities between Kapil and Hardik, the 28-year-old India all-rounder has politely turned the comparisons down. Hardik says he is nowhere near the great Kapil Dev and if he can do even an ounce of what the former India World Cup winning did during his playing career, Pandya would consider himself lucky.
"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 percent of what I have done… I have still not achieved that five percent. So for me, it’s people and pundits’ jobs to compare," Hardik said on the SG Podcast.
While the great Kapil did extraordinary things with both bat and ball, Hardik’s career kind of nosedived following his back surgery in 2019. It took him nearly three years to be back to bowling full tilt, and now that he has, which was evident as Hardik led Gujarat Titans to an IPL title win in their debut and his maiden season as captain, greater things lie ahead.
"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. He has been the greatest cricketer of all time. The kind of impact that he had on the game… from bowling to batting, fielding, yeah, the comparisons end from my side. It is still up to people but respectfully I will deny that," added Hardik.
