Australia's legendary cricketer Shane Watson showered praise on India's star all-rounder Hardik Pandya and rated him the best in the T20 cricket. He went on to declare Hardik as way above the England all-rounder Shane Watson in the shortest format of the game.
"Hardik is absolutely at the peak of his powers at this moment. It is an absolute treat to watch him play. I love watching fast-bowling all-rounders who steam in and have a real crack. You know, the impact they can have and they can take the game away from the opposition at any time of the game, whether it is with the bat and ball," Watson told NDTV.
The 41-year-old, who is the assistant coach of the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), further said that Pandya is a superior T20 player than Stokes at the moment. Watson is currently in India to play the Legends League Cricket tournament
Australian Shane Watson, a top all-rounder himself during his playing days, thinks that Pandya is at the peak of his powers right now and watching him go about his job is a ‘treat’.
"It is really pleasing to see Hardik playing like he is doing right now. And in regards to T20 cricket, Hardik is way above where Ben Stokes is right now. With the way Hardik is batting, his versatility while batting at the end, the way he is bowling. Right now, at this moment, Hardik is the stand-out," he stated.
Another quality of Pandya that has added to his reputation is his captaincy. Leading Gujarat Titans, a franchise that made its debut in IPL 2022, the allrounder led them to a title win, giving the Indian team a timely reminder that he’s much more than his batting and bowling. Since then, he has gone on to put in several match-winning performances for India, both with bat and ball.
Pandya has been on a roll since his comeback to Team India. He made his India return in the home series against South Africa in June and his success has seen him leading the national side as well. He has also pipped Rishabh Pant in the race of being the backup vice-captain.
Stokes is one of the best all-rounders in Test cricket and leads the Three Lions in the format. Under him, England defeated New Zealand and South Africa in the home Test series recently.
Watson's career spanned for 207 international games as he also took 291 wickets and scored 10,950 runs.
