MSK Prasad flatters Hardik Pandya by comparing him with Kapil Dev

Hardik Pandya’s devastating knock against the Sri Lankans on the second day’s play will be remembered by every Indian cricket fan. The immensely talented all rounder was ruthless in his approach in the Test format which completely justified his selection. Pandya scored a brilliant hundred off just 86 balls which crushed the Sri Lankan hopes of restricting the Indians early on Day 2. Pandya finished his inning scoring 108 runs off 96 balls before falling victim to Lakshan Sandakan.

However, Pandya absolutely bludgeoned the Lions’ bowling attack as he made Malinda Pushpakumara the victim of his sixes. He also hammered chinaman Lakshan Sandakan and Lahiru Kumara to give them a taste of his batting prowess. While Pandya’s knock grabbed huge praise from the cricketing world, one of them came from India chief selector MK Prasad. Prasad was present in the stands during the inning and was spellbound to see the 23-year-old bat like that.

What Prasad said:

“Pandya’s knock was breathtaking. I was fortunate to see it live. Our team was not in a comfortable position when he arrived at the crease yesterday, but the way he paced his innings was unbelievable,” said Prasad.

Prasad said that Hardik Pandya is an extraordinary find for the Indian team because of his all-round capabilities. He went on to compare Pandya with the legendary Kapil Dev and said that he will bring success like Kapil did.

“I’m very happy to say that our search for an all-rounder has been successful in the form of Pandya. He will inspire many all-rounders in the country, just like what the legendary Kapil did.” added Prasad.

When Pandya came across Prasad’s statement he mentioned that it is an honour for him to be compared with the legend. Pandya added that if he can become 10% of what the curly haired sensation was, he will consider him to be fortunate.

“Obviously, if he (MSK) has said that, then it feels good. Even if I can be 10 % of what he (Kapil) was, I will be pretty happy in my life,”