‘When you make a lot of money, you tend to relax’: Abdul Razzaq says Hardik Pandya needs to work harder

“Pandya is a good player but he can be a much better all-rounder. It is all about hard work. When you don’t give enough time to the game, it drifts away from you,” Razzaq said.

Former Pakistan allrounder Abdul Razza on Friday said that India allrounder Hardik Pandya is nowhere in the league of India and Pakistan World Cup-winning captains Kapil Dev and Imran Khan. Speaking to news agency PTI, Razzaq said that Pandya has all the talent, but needs to work hard enough to be more physically and mentally focused on the game.

File image of Hardik Pandya.(PTI)

“Pandya is a good player but he can be a much better all-rounder. It is all about hard work. When you don’t give enough time to the game, it drifts away from you,” Razzaq said.

Pandya suffered a back injury last year and had to undergo a surgery in October, which kept him away from the game for a few months. The allrounder was set to return to the Indian cricket team in the ODI series against South Africa in March, but the series was suspended due to the outbreak of coronavirus pandemic.

“He has to prepare better mentally as well as physically. As you have seen, he has been getting injured a lot of late (underwent back surgery last year). When you earn a lot of money, you tend to relax,” Razzaq said.

“Mohammad Amir did not work hard enough and his performance dipped,” he added.

Speaking on the comparisons between Pandya and Kapil Dev, the 40-year-old said. “Kapil Dev and Imran Khan are the best all-rounders of all time. Hardik is nowhere near that league. Even I was an all-rounder but it doesn’t mean that I would compare myself with Imran bhai.”

“Kapil paaji and Imran bhai were in a different league,” Razzaq, who played 46 Tests, 265 ODIs and 32 T20 Internationals, added.

(With PTI inputs)