Whenever he does well, I feel like my own son has performed: MSK Prasad on Hardik Pandya

The IPL 2022 has just started, and already all the players have started showing their classes. While the veteran players like Faf du Plessis, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and a few others have been doing well, youngsters like Ayush Badoni and Avesh Khan have already been in the news. However, among all-rounders, Hardik Pandya is the one who needs to prove himself more.

He was out of action from the national team earlier due to his back surgery. While he did bat in a few innings after his return, he was out of bowling entirely at that time. However, he has returned to bowling recently, and former BCCI chairman of selectors MSK Prasad said that he couldn’t be more happy and proud of the way he has announced his return to the game.

“Whenever he does well, I feel proud and I feel like my own son has performed or done anything like that. It was very difficult to find a great all-rounder post the legendary Kapil Dev but someone who has got skills. The beauty about this boy is that his basics are very strong. His bowling basics, batting basics, fielding basics – everything is very strong. All that he needs to understand is to keep that part between his ears in a good stead and I am sure he will grow into a wonderful all-rounder,” Prasad told cricket historian and broadcaster Boria Majumdar in his YouTube show.

Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya has been leading the Gujarat-based franchise with the example in IPL 2022. He has led the franchise to wins against Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals, and Prasad is impressed with his captaincy skills so far.

“Now that he is not the same chubby-bubbly sort of a Hardik. Now he’s married, settled down and got an added responsibility with Gujarat Titans. I’m sure it is definitely going to help him, Titans and Indian cricket. The way he led the other day – because I was there on the ground – he was very cool, calm and the manner in which he rotated the bowlers and placed fielders, everything was spot on. Even when the wickets were taken, he maintained his composure and I like that attitude,” MSK Prasad concluded.