Sourav Ganguly doesn't want to compare Hardik Pandya with legends

Owing to his superb all-round performances, Hardik Pandya has created a stir in the Indian cricket fraternity. Good with the ball, better with the bat and an exceptional fielder- he is exactly what the Indian team craved for. Now that he has destroyed the Australian side on multiple occasions, both with his power hitting and witty bowling, people have started comparing him with the World Cup winning Indian skipper, Kapil Dev. But another Indian skipper who played the final of the World Cup, Sourav Ganguly wants the Kapil-Hardik comparison to stop.

Pandya impressed everyone with his 6 wickets, 222 runs and electrifying appearance on the field, which led to the comparison. But Dada feels it is not the right time to compare a youngster who is just 23 with an ‘absolute champion’ like Kapil. He feels the comparison should be made 10-15 years later, provided Pandya manages to last the test of time.

“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. Let’s enjoy his cricket, he is a good cricketer, he is a positive cricketer. He’s a fighter and he has got heart when he plays cricket. That’s what you look in a young cricketer. I wish him all the best hopefully he continues to do good work for Virat Kohli,” the 45-year-old opined, while speaking to India Today.

Ashish Nehra is an excellent T20 bowler

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has selected the 38-year-old ‘youngster’ Ashish Nehra in the team for the T20I series against the Aussies, which has raised some eyebrows. But Dada praised the board for not looking at Nehra’s age but keeping his capability in mind while selecting the team.

Nehra has often been the saviour of the Indian team during Ganguly’s reign, as the Kolkatan said “It’s a good news for Indian cricket that they have picked ability and not age. He is an exceptional T20 bowler. We saw him in last T20 World Cup. He is a left armer and he creates a different angle. I think he will come out with flying colours in this series as well.”