Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram stated he’s mighty impressed with Hardik Pandya after the all-rounder shone in India’s 5-wicket win over Pakistan in an exciting Asia Cup 2022 encounter on Sunday, August 28 in Dubai.
Wasim Akram stated he believes Hardik Pandya is the very best all-rounder going round in white-ball cricket, lauding his means to contribute in a couple of technique to the Indian cricket crew.
Akram’s feedback got here after Hardik hit a 17-ball unbeaten 33 and picked up 3 wickets in India’s thrilling win over Pakistan in Dubai. Hardik led from the entrance with the ball, selecting up 3 essential wickets, together with that of a well-set Mohammad Rizwan.
In an intense spell of fast-bowling within the middle-overs, Hardik used the bounce on the Dubai pitch nicely, bending his again to bowl bouncers at will that took Pakistan batters unexpectedly.
India have been in a position to limit Pakistan to 147 all out following which Hardik, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja shone in a tense chase.
“I think he knows he is one of the best all-rounders in the world right now. He works according to that. His mindset is set according to that. He is bowling 140kph-plus and when he comes out to bat, he is a very important member of the Indian team in all the formats,” Wasim Akram advised Star Sports on Sunday.
“Like I said, in my opinion, he is the best all-rounder in world cricket right now. The way he is batting he is better than Andre Russell, better than all the all-rounders we have. He is consistent. He is an electrifying fielder. He is one of the top cricketers in the world,” he added.
Hardik stitched a 52-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja after India misplaced Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in fast succession. Hardik calculated his innings splendidly nicely and remained calm beneath stress, ending the match with a giant six within the last over.
IRFAN IN AWE OF HARDIK’S CONFIDENCE
Former India quick bowler Irfan Pathan heaped reward on Hardik, saying the all-rounder is realising his full potential along with his means to strike the ball cleanly.
“At the start, he took his time. Pakistan were not bowling in his arc. But he is in such a good form that he can any bowler in world cricket right now.
“That’s the confidence he has got now after coming back from an injury. He has got great hitting power. Ability was always there but now he has started to showcase performances regularly. He is fit and is able to bowl 140kph-plus,” Pathan stated.
Hardik has been in imperious kind ever since he returned to aggressive motion, main the Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022. After having absolutely recovered from recurring again points, Hardik has been offering nice steadiness to the white-ball crew and it was evident in his all-round present on Sunday in opposition to India’s arch-rivals.
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