Kapil Dev Should Not Be Compared With Hardik Pandya, Says Sunil Gavaskar
Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar rubbished the comparisons between Kapil Dev and India’s rising allrounder Hardik Pandya.
Every pace-bowling allrounder that arrives at the scenes draws comparison with the legendary Kapil Dev. The World Cup-winning skipper has set the bar for the fast-bowling allrounder. Nearly 10,000 international runs and almost 700 wickets, Kapil Dev’s contribution to Indian cricket is second to none. Not to forget, he is the man who led the nation to its first World Cup in 1983 against all the odds.
Not surprisingly, India has yet not managed to produce another Kapil Dev. Since the retirement of former captain in 1994, India have been engaged in a perpetual search for an all-rounder who can bowl medium pace and score vital runs down the batting order. The likes of Manoj Prabhakar, Sanjay Bangar, Irfan Pathan and several others showed early promise but failed miserably in the end.
The latest to be compared with Kapil Dev is Hardik Pandya. The Baroda star has done decently so far but is yet to show the brilliance that can excite the fans. And Gavaskar is now livid with the comparisons.
The legendary batsman said that Kapil Dev is a once-in-a century cricketer and cannot be compared to anyone.
“Kapil Dev should not be compared with anyone. He is not just a once-in-generation player but a once-in-a century cricketer just like Sir Don Bradman and Sachin Tendulkar. We should not compare him with anyone,” a visibly agitated Gavaskar told ‘Aaj Tak’.
The Indian team is currently in England for the Test series. The visitors are trailing the series 1-0 after losing the opener by 31 runs. The failure of batsmen was one of the big reasons behind the narrow loss and Gavaskar said India should play an extra batsman in the second match at Lord’s.
“I will play one more batsman at Lord’s in the form of (Cheteshwar) Pujara. He has the technique and patience required for a Test match. Whose place he’ll take will depend on the pitch. If the wicket isn’t that green then I will pick him in place of Umesh Yadav and retain Hardik Pandya,” he said.
Gavaskar also opined that India should bat first in the second Test in order to put pressure on England.
“For India to win the Lord’s Test, they need to win the toss and elect to bat. Look what had happened in the third Test at Johannesburg last year when South Africa, batting last against India, collapsed before reaching 200.
“Most of the teams are struggling to chase even a total anywhere near 200 in the final innings. England too might have struggled if they were chasing in place of India in the first Test at Edgbaston,” he said.
