Pandya spoke on his comparison with legend Kapil Dev.
Hardik Pandya has spoken about the constant comparison made between him and legendary Kapil Dev. Kapil Dev retired in 1994 after playing 131 Test matches and 225 ODI matches since making his debut in 1978.
Since then, the Indian cricket team is yet to produce another all-rounder of his caliber. In between, there have been candidates, such as Irfan Pathan, and currently Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya, but the search for the next Kapil Dev still continues.
With Hardik's swift rise, though, there have been analogies drawn between him and Kapil. Hardik's flamboyant batting and medium pace persuaded many to see Kapil in the India all-rounder, but putting Pandya in the same category at this point would be premature.
While the similarities between Kapil and Hardik have been widely discussed, the 28-year-old India all-rounder has politely dismissed the comparisons.
"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.
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Hardik Pandya believes he is nowhere near the legendary Kapil Dev, and that if he can achieve even a fraction of what the former India World Cup winner achieved during his playing career, he will consider himself fortunate.
"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.
While Kapil Dev performed incredible things with both the bat and the ball, Hardik's career took a plunge after undergoing back surgery in 2019. It took him nearly three years to go back to full-throttle bowling. Also, Hardik captained the Gujarat Titans to the IPL 2022 title win in their inaugural season, and it seems more incredible things are ahead for him.