Veteran Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar advised flamboyant Hardik Pandya to remain focused on his game as he feels he has all the ability to become one of the best all-rounders in the world. Hardik has been in sensational form after returning to competitive cricket with IPL 2022. He led Gujarat Titans to a title win in their debut season and many were impressed with his captaincy skills.
He took a short sabbatical from cricket after the 2021 T20 World Cup to work on his fitness. He returned to IPL 2022 where he showcased his all-round abilities once again. He scored 487 runs in 15 matches at a sublime average of 487. He also attained bowling fitness and claimed eight wickets in the title-winning campaign. The 28-year-old took the responsibility on his own shoulders and promoted himself up in the batting order at Number 3 and 4 to provide balance in the line-up.
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The flamboyant all-rounder got his place back in the T20I series against South Africa and impressed many with his performance with both and ball. While it was the England tour where he made realised everyone how important he is to the Indian team in white-ball cricket.
Akhtar said that he was delighted to see Hardik – the bowler perform well as a fully fit Pandya brings a balance to the team which is needed in white-ball cricket.
“I was happy to see Hardik Pandya perform as a bowler as he brings an incredible balance to the team. I am also delighted that he has become serious about his fitness. He got a good shock when he was out of the team for 1-2 years as he was a bit unfit casual," Akhtar said on his YouTube channel.
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Pandya ended the England tour on a high with all-round performance in the series-decider where he claimed four wickets with the ball and then followed it up with a crucial 71-run knock off 55 balls.
Akhtar called Pandya a rare talent and adviced him to remain focused on the game.
“He seems to enjoy his life on the field. He should not enjoy much off the field as he is a rare talent. He is a great fielder, a great bowler, actually, he is a great addition to the pace battery. He outshone other bowlers and I would advice him to remain focused on his game," he added.
Talking about his batting credentials, Akhtar lauded the Indian all-rounder for his compact shots.
“He is a very good batter as he played very later and the number of compact shots that he has, I don’t have any doubt that he will become one of the best all-rounders in the world," Akhtar added.
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