India’s Hardik Pandya and England’s Ben Stokes have emerged as the biggest match winners for their respective sides in the shortest format of the game. Comparisons between the two have been rife ever since Pandya’s batting gained greater heights after the IPL win, Asia Cup, and the England tour.
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Former South Africa allrounder Lance Klusener said that Hardik Pandya’s batting is improving by the game but is yet to reach the zenith and is still not the full product. Stating that Stokes is a more complete player than Pandya, the current Zimbabwean coach added that Pandya is learning all the time.
“I think Stokes is a little bit more complete than a guy like Pandya. But he’s learning all the time. In the last two-three years, the strides that Pandya has taken in international cricket are awesome. I don’t think he’s quite the finished product yet. The sooner he gets to that (stage) where he’s completing all his overs all the time, I think we can definitely put him in the same bracket as all great all-rounders. He is up there but not quite at the top now,” Klusener was quoted as saying by HT.
Nevertheless, former Pakistan skipper Rashid Latif feels that Pandya will have to up his game before he is likened to the World Cup-winning England cricketer.
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“I’m not referring to the game today, but Ben Stokes has a proven record. He won Test matches for England and the World Cup too,” Rashid Latif said on his Youtube channel.
“Stokes is way ahead of Hardik based on the international trophies,” he added.
“So, I don’t think you can even compare when it comes to (performances) on the ground. Because a trophy is a trophy. Ben Stokes is way ahead of Hardik in that. Having said that, yes, some of Hardik’s innings have been better than Ben Stokes, but having better innings and being better than Stokes are two completely different things.”
