Abdul Razzaq and Hardik Pandya

NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez has stirred a fresh debate in the cricketing world by claiming that Abdul Razzaq was a better all-rounder than India’s Hardik Pandya. In a viral clip of the Pakistan show ‘Game on Hai’, Hafeez asserted that Razzaq’s performances and potential far outweighed those of Pandya, despite the latter being an integral part of India’s setup.
Hafeez pointed out that although Razzaq was limited in his skills and did not push his potential to the fullest, his contributions as an all-rounder surpassed Pandya’s. He remarked, “You take out the details of Abdul Razzaq’s performances. He was a better and bigger performer. But the system didn’t look after him, and the player also didn’t respond that much. Whatever I’ve seen of Razzaq, he was better than this version of Hardik.”
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Despite Pandya’s consistent contributions with bat and ball for India in crucial matches, recently in the ICC Champions Trophy, Hafeez and legendary pacer Shoaib Akhtar believe that Pandya lacks the skill set of a genuine fast bowler.

Akhtar, echoing Hafeez’s sentiments, said, “Hardik is no Marshall, Waqar, Lee, or Srinath. It’s just his mindset. You throw him the new ball, he does it. You ask him to bowl in the middle, he does it. However, he is not that powerful a hitter also. He had given that belief that the world is your stage. The market allows you to become big.”
The Rawalpindi Express also highlighted how Razzaq never received the recognition he truly deserved despite his versatile performances for Pakistan. He recalled a memorable instance from 2010, when Razzaq single-handedly took down South Africa with a blistering century, saying, “He was hitting the ball so hard that day that I thought if the ball came towards me, it would go through me.”
Akhtar added that not only Razzaq but also Azhar Mahmood, another talented all-rounder, lacked the respect they deserved. “We didn’t give him the respect, and neither did we give Azhar Mahmood the respect that he deserved. He was a great performer with the ball.”