Batting great Sunil Gavaskar has not taken too kindly to all-rounder Hardik Pandya being compared to India’s 1983 World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev.
Pandya, who is performing for the role of a seaming all-rounder for India in the ongoing Test series against England, has been compared to the legendary Indian all-rounder ever since he made his international debut.
However, Gavaskar, a former team-mate of Kapil Dev, has rubbished the comparisons.
“Kapil Dev should not be compared with anyone. He is not just a once-in-a-generation player but a once-in-a century cricketer just like Sir Don Bradman and Sachin Tendulkar. We should not compare him with anyone,” Gavaskar told Aaj Tak during a show.
Pandya was the second highest run-scorer for India in the Edgbaston Test with his two innings combined fetching a total of 53 runs.
Gavaskar believes that Kapil Dev is a once-in-a-generation player.
The collective failure of India’s batting unit apart from skipper Virat Kohli was the primary cause of their 31-run defeat at Edgbaston. While commenting on India’s batting woes, Gavaskar was tore into opener Shikhar Dhawan over the manner of his dismissals.
“Shikhar simply does not want to change his game. He believes in playing in the same manner which has brought him success till now. You can still get away with such shots in one-day cricket because there aren’t many slips and the push or the edge goes for a boundary through the slip cordon,” the 69-year-old stated.
“But in Tests, such shots will only result in a wicket. Until a player makes a mental adjustment, he will continue to struggle against the red ball in overseas conditions,” he added.
England and India will now lock horns in the second of the five Tests at Lord’s on August 9.
