Abdul Razzaq said that his previous statement on India all-rounder Hardik Pandya when he had said that he can make him one of the best all-rounders in the world by ironing out his flaws were taken wrongly and the Baroda cricketer is brilliant in what he does.

During the 2019 World Cup, Razzaq had said that there were many flaws in the technique of Hardik Pandya and mentioned that if he could coach the all-rounder, he would go on to become one of the best in the business.

Then in 2020, Razzaq said that Hardik Pandya was nowhere near the league of Kapil Dev and needs to work harder to become a world-class cricketer. He had further added that Pandya needed to work more on becoming physically and mentally tougher as he was getting injured a lot at that time.

However, after the T20 World Cup 2021 where Pandya played as a batter, the all-rounder took six months off and worked hard on his fitness. He came back strongly in the IPL 2022, helping Gujarat Titans win the title in their debut season and since then has been brilliant for India.

He was even elevated as vice-captain in white-ball formats and led India to T20I series wins over New Zealand and Ireland away and against Sri Lanka and New Zealand at home.

Hardik Pandya Is Very Strong Both Mentally And Physically And Is Fit: Abdul Razzaq

During his interview with the Times of India, Abdul Razzaq made comments on Hardik Pandya and said that his previous statement on the all-rounder was taken the wrong way and didn’t mean it.

“My earlier statement on Hardik Pandya was taken the wrong way. I didn’t mean it. As a cricketer, I just said there is scope for improvement in him (Pandya). I didn’t comment on a player who is from India, England, or Australia. I just said things as a cricketer. If Kapil Dev says that he wants to give advice to Abdul Razzaq, I will take this statement positively,” Razzaq told Times of India.

“The best part about Hardik is that he is very strong both mentally and physically. He is fit. This drives him forward. He hits the ball cleanly. He takes wickets at crucial junctures. You send him in to bowl, he will take wickets. You send him out to bat and he will score runs for you. He is a match-winner. No one is perfect. He can work on a couple of things which according to him are areas of improvement – in terms of foot movement, bat movement, and how to judge a delivery before it is bowled. That was what I meant earlier. That was just a statement as a former all-rounder. People took it the wrong way and criticised me as well,” he added.

“Hardik is a complete allrounder. But no one is perfect. Everyone needs improvement in certain areas. When I was playing, I also lacked certain things. Wasim Akram was the same, Imran Khan was the same, Kapil Dev was the same. But still, we consider them all to be greats of the game.”

Hardik Pandya has been wonderful for the Indian team in recent matches with the bat and with the ball, he has been excellent giving Rohit Sharma a brilliant option.

He Is An Impact Player: Abdul Razzaq On Hardik Pandya’s Improvements

Razzaq was further asked to compare Hardik Pandya’s improvement in cricket and the rise and rise of the Baroda all-rounder.

He said: “He is definitely a good cricketer. I really like him. He hits the ball cleanly. He is a very clean hitter. I used to hit the same way that Pandya does. I love his bowling as well. He is an impact player. When you are representing your country, you need to come up with extraordinary performances so that the team starts relying on you.

You can’t really mould an effective all-rounder overnight. What does it take to become an impactful all-rounder? Also how much extra pressure does an all-rounder feel vis a vis batters and bowlers?
People often say batting is difficult. I say if batting is difficult, then bowling is difficult too. These are different skills, and both are difficult. Batsman says things are hard for him. Bowler says things are hard for him as well. They both are focusing on one thing at a time. But an all-rounder must deal with both departments. He deals with both batting and bowling without complaining. “

Hardik Pandya will be seen leading the Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2023 which begins on March 31 with the GT taking on MS Dhoni’s CSK team in Ahmedabad.

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