Hardik Pandya and Ben Stokes are among the two best all-rounders in the world right now. While Pandya is on a roll ever since he made his comeback to Team India. He made his return to the Indian side in the home series against South Africa in June and his success has seen him leading the national side as well.
Pandya has emerged out as one of India’s most trusted finishers with the bat in the shortest format of the game. Whether it is chasing under pressure or batting first freely, Hardik has stepped up for the Indian cricket team on multiple occasions to guide the Indian cricket team home or help them put a formidable total with the bat. On the other hand, Ben Stokes is one of the best all-rounders, who also leads his side in the Test cricket format. Under his captaincy, England defeated New Zealand and South Africa in the home Test series recently.
Since both Hardik and Ben are at the top of their games, they both are often compared to each other. In an interview with NDTV, Shane Watson was asked to pick his favorite among these two. Responding to this, the former Australia all-rounder has picked Pandya ahead of Stokes in the shortest format of the game. He said:
“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,”
He added: “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.”
