Former Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq reckons that the Indian all-rounder, Hardik Pandya is nowhere near the league of Kapil Dev and needs to go a long way to become a world-class cricketer. Speaking to PTI, Razzaq said India will continue to enjoy an unbeaten record against his team at the World Cup, as Indians handle the pressure of the big game much better.

Talking about Pandya, who has been battling fitness issues of late, Razzaq feels the 26-year-old doesn’t work hard enough to improve his game. 

As per the quotes in PTI, Razzaq said, “Pandya is a good player but he can be a much better all-rounder. It is all about hard work. He has to prepare better mentally as well as physically. As you have seen, he has been getting injured a lot of late (underwent back surgery last year). When you earn a lot of money, you tend to relax. For every player, it is the same.”

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Pandya, who made his India debut in 2016, has often been compared with the great Kapil, but Razzaq said it is way too premature.

The all-rounder added, “Kapil Dev and Imran Khan are the best all-rounders of all time. Hardik is nowhere near that league. Even I was an all-rounder but it doesn’t mean that I would compare myself with Imran bhai. Kapil paaji and Imran bhai were in a different league.”

Pakistan has had a commendable squad in the 90s but India has enjoyed an upper hand over the arch-rivals in the last decade. India has also extended their unbeaten World Cup record against Pakistan to 7-0.

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Talking about the same, Abdul Razzaq said, “India will continue to maintain that record. It is rare that India and Pakistan play each other in knock-out matches of ICC events. Our players are not able to absorb the pressure that comes with this game. We used to win a lot against India in Sharjah, beat them in Canada twice. I remember the 1999 World Cup, people and media put pressure on the players before the game and we wilted. The players are not confident about beating India in the World Cup.”