Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez is known for his forthright opinion and he often grabs the headlines for the same.

Durin the recently held Champions Trophy 2025, Hafeez made quite a few bizarre claims. One of his comments has now gone viral on social media.

Speaking on the 'Game on Hai' show, Hafeez claimed that Abdul Razzaq was a better all-rounder than India's Hardik Pandya.

Hafeez justified his statement by saying that Razzaq's performances and potential far outweighed those of Pandya, despite the latter being an integral part of India’s setup.

Hafeez further stated that although Razzaq was limited in his skills and did not push his potential to the fullest, his contributions as an all-rounder surpassed Pandya's.

"You take out the details of Abdul Razzaq's performances. He was a better and bigger performer. But the system didn't look after him, and the player also didn't respond that much. Whatever I've seen of Razzaq, he was better than this version of Hardik," Hafeez remarked.

Despite Pandya's significant contributions with bat and ball in India’s triumphant Champions Trophy campaign, Hafeez and former speedster Shoaib Akhtar reckon that the Indian all-rounder lacks the skill set of a genuine fast bowler.

Akhtar endorsed Hafeez’s views and added, "Hardik is no Marshall, Waqar, Lee, or Srinath. It's just his mindset. You throw him the new ball, he does it. You ask him to bowl in the middle, he does it. However, he is not that powerful a hitter also. He had given that belief that the world is your stage. The market allows you to become big."

Akhtar also highlighted how Razzaq never got the credit he truly deserved despite his stellar performances for Pakistan.

He recalled Razzaq’s whirlwind century against South Africa in 2010, saying: "He was hitting the ball so hard that day that I thought if the ball came towards me, it would go through me."

Akhtar added that not only Razzaq but Azhar Mahmood, another talented all-rounder, didn’t get the respect either.

"We didn't give him the respect, and neither did we give Azhar Mahmood the respect that he deserved. He was a great performer with the ball."