India all-rounder Hardik Padya is just focusing on white-ball cricket at the moment, but at the time of his Test debut, he was so impressive that former India captain Sunil Gavaskar compared him with Australia batter David Warner predicting him to be successful in all the three formats of the game.
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For those who don’t know, Pandya had made his Test debut during India’s tour of Sri Lanka 2017. Having scored a half-century on debut at the Galle International Stadium, Pandya smashed a brilliant century in the third Test scoring 108 (96) at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium to be called as the biggest positive of the tour by the then captain Virat Kohli.
Pandya has been through a lot of injuries, and he resumed bowling from the last IPL only. He is now an important part of the white-ball squads, but his comeback to the Test squad looks unlikely at the moment.
Sunil Gavaskar once predicted Hardik Pandya to be an all-format player like David Warner
After a brilliant start to his Test career, Pandya’s stock went sky high, and he was getting praises from all over the fraternity. Gavaskar was one of the greatest players to play for the Indian national team, and he said that just like Warner, Pandya also has the ability to flourish in all three formats of the game.
Pandya obviously wasn’t comparable to Warner in batting, but the fact that Pandya could contribute with the ball as well made him a genuine match-winning option. He even made his case stronger by delivering with a five-wicket haul against England in Nottingham next year.
ALSO READ: Hardik Pandya captaincy record
“It’s still early days but Pandya has proven that he has it in himself to succeed in Test cricket,” Gavaskar had said to NDTV.
“He is a bit like David Warner. I believe that Hardik will follow in Warner’s footsteps and become a successful player in all three formats of the game.”
MSK Prasad tipped Hardik Pandya to be next Kapil Dev
At the time, Pandya’s only Test century had excited MSK Prasad (the then chairman of selectors) as well. Prasad was delighted with Pandya, and he even predicted him to be the next Kapil Dev of Indian cricket.
“If he stays grounded, I am sure we will see him being compared to the legendary Kapil Dev in the times to come,” Prasad had told PTI.
