Former Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar has recently wholeheartedly lauded Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya and called him a rare talent after his amazing performance in the white-ball series against England.

Hardik Pandya did well in the T20I series including picking 4/33 and scoring 51 in the first T20I against England and helping India win the series 2-1. In the ODI series, he was great with the ball, picking 6 wickets including career-best 4/24, and scored 100 runs, including the best of 71 in the third and deciding ODI.

He was named the Player of the Series as India pocketed the ODI series as well by a margin of 2-1.

Reflecting on Team India's performances against England, Akhtar showered praise on all-rounder Pandya. Akhtar welcomed the return of Hardik Pandya, the all-rounder, and praised his bowling.

“I was happy to see Hardik Pandya perform as a bowler as he brings an incredible balance to the team. I am also delighted that he has become serious about his fitness. He got a good shock when he was out of the team for 1-2 years as he was a bit unfit casual," Akhtar said on his YouTube channel.

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“He seems to enjoy his life on the field. He should not enjoy much off the field as he is a rare talent. He is a great fielder, a great bowler, actually, he is a great addition to the pace battery. He outshone other bowlers and I would advise him to remain focused on his game," Akhtar added.

Thanks to his 4 wickets and 71 runs, Pandya became the fifth Indian player after Kris Srikkanth, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh to score a half-century and take four wickets in the same match.

“He is a very good batter as he played very later and the number of compact shots that he has, I don’t have any doubt that he will become one of the best all-rounders in the world," Akhtar added.