“Kapil Dev Was An Absolute Champion”: When Sourav Ganguly Denied Comparing Hardik Pandya To A World Cup-Winning Captain

Ever since former India captain Kapil Dev‘s retirement, India never got a genuine pace-bowling all-rounder. When Hardik Pandya made his debut for India in 2016, he was tipped as India’s next Kapil Dev. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly once gave an interview where he denied comparing both of them.

Pandya’s bowling skills were appreciated by many, whereas his delightful stroke-making was also a treat to watch. Talking to India Today in 2017, Ganguly was adamant that it was not fair to compare Pandya to a world-cup-winning captain. Dev was one of the greatest players India ever produced.

Ganguly insisted that everyone should wait 10-15 years years and let Pandya perform to his potential. He said that Pandya has all the qualities to become a star player, but he will have to execute them on the field as well.

When Sourav Ganguly Denied Comparing Hardik Pandya To A World Cup-Winning Captain

Ganguly had called Pandya a fighter and said that he is one of those players who work very hard to achieve their goals. According to Ganguly, Pandya had every quality that he himself look for in an individual. The southpaw has been one of those captains who always invested in the youngsters.

“Hardik Pandya has the qualities to help this Indian team but don’t compare him with Kapil Dev at the moment. Kapil Dev was an absolute champion. We will talk about it 10-15 years down the line once Pandya keeps playing that long,” Sourav Ganguly had told India Today.

Since that interview, Pandya’s career has been through a lot of ups and downs. He was in and out of the team because of his persistent injury issues. However, since IPL 2022, he has been one of the biggest pillars of the side. He is also the vice-captain of India in both white-ball formats.

Not just as a player, Pandya has grown as a captain as well. Under his leadership, Gujarat Titans won the title of IPL 2022 in their first-ever season. Gujarat topped the league stage in IPL 2023 as well.

Kapil Dev vs Hardik Pandya Captaincy Record

As captain, Dev led India in 74 ODIs where India won 39 and lost 33. Dev led India in 34 Tests as well where India won four, lost seven and 22 of them ended in a draw.

Pandya has so far led India in 11 T20Is, where India emerged victorious in eight of them. He has won the only ODI as captain as well. It is very early to call, but Pandya has been quite successful in his initial days as skipper.