Hardik Pandya is a bit like David Warner: Sunil Gavaskar

Following Team India’s clinical whitewash against Sri Lanka in their own backyard, the experts are not holding back from appreciating the outstanding effort of Virat Kohli’s men. Former Indian great Sunil Gavaskar believes that all-rounder Hardik Pandya can follow in the footsteps of David Warner when it comes to transforming himself from a Twenty20 specialist to a man for all formats.

Pandya can follow Warner

Australia’s Warner was tagged as a limited overs specialist but he proved one and all wrong and the critics had to bite the bullet after the opener established himself as one of the best in Test cricket. Warner plays all the three formats and is a vital cog in the Australian set-up.

“It’s still early days but Pandya has proven that he has it in himself to succeed in Test cricket. He is a bit like David Warner. I believe that Hardik will follow Warner’s footsteps and become a successful player in all three formats of the game,” former India captain Gavaskar told NDTV.The all-rounder scored 178 runs in the 3-match Test series. He scored a fifty and a century in the final Test to clinch the series and put a whitewash against the Lankans.

The all-rounder scored 178 runs in the 3-match Test series. He scored a fifty and a century in the final Test to clinch the series and put a whitewash against the Lankans. He was also adjudged the Man of the Match for his all-round effort.

Ruthless Indian team

“The most impressive aspect of this team was that they never took their foot off the pedal and the team wanted to win by the biggest margin possible. They enforced the follow-on in the last two Tests to win the games by huge margins and that tells you how ruthless they have become,” said former India opener.

“It was a tribute to the spirit of the Indian team and the determination that Virat Kohli has brought to the team. Some people will say that the Sri Lanka team was not strong enough but it does not diminish the credibility of this Indian team,” said Gavaskar.