"Hardik and Jadeja, with due respect, aren't quite there" - Sanjay Manjrekar on Waqar Younis' comparisons of the all-rounders to Yuvraj Singh
Sanjay Manjrekar does not believe that current Indian all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya are in the same league as Yuvraj Singh, as Waqar Younis suggested during the rain break of the India-Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 Super Four clash on Sunday.
Jadeja and Hardik have been vital cogs in Team India's white-ball squads over the years, and the balance that they provide to the playing XI is unmatched. The duo have made their presence felt in one way or the other, even during the ongoing Asia Cup 2023.
Hardik was Team India's top scorer during the washed-out group-stage contest against Pakistan, while Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers in the team's dominant win over Nepal.
Waqar Younis told Star Sports about the impact Jadeja and Hardik bring to the table:
"Look at what Hardik and Jadeja bring to the table. They are well equipped with both bat and ball. Especially Hardik Pandya – the way he batted against Pakistan – I think he is a really destructive batter at No. 6. Any team would love to have someone like him. He is aggressive, and now as we saw in the previous match, he is very sensible and smart."
In response, Sanjay Manjrekar opined that Yuvraj Singh was on a different level and termed him as "India's best white-ball batter".
"Yuvraj is arguably India's best white-ball batter. He could win games and was in a different league. Hardik and Jadeja, with due respect, aren't quite there. These tworare far better bowlers than Yuvraj Singh but because that one discipline was so discipled," Manjrekar countered.
Younis cut in at the point and questioned how Hardik wasn't in the same league as Yuvraj.
"Not even Hardik Pandya? With the kind of batting that he has shown? I am not comparing them but the intention is there," he averred.
Yuvraj Singh is unquestionably one of the greatest white-ball players India have produced to date. The left-handed all-rounder played 304 ODIs and 58 T20Is over the course of his career and was adjudged the Player of the Tournament in India's 2011 ODI World Cup campaign.
"They have this combined skill to make the kind of contribution made" - Manjrekar on comparisons between Jadeja-Hardik and Yuvraj
Manjrekar further stated that Hardik's inability to bowl 10 overs on a consistent basis is a huge factor behind his opinion. As a result, he views him as a batting all-rounder.
"He has the potential but when I see him at this stage, it's not a guarantee that he will come and bowl all 10 overs like one of the mainstream bowlers. I see him as more of a batting all-rounder and he batted really well in the last game," Manjrekar said.
"So yes, they have this combined skill to make the kind of contribution made but one discipline of Yuvraj Singh, like I said, was at a different level. In pitches that help Jadeja the bowler, his batting will come through but Hardik the batter doesn't need a bad ball or loose ball to decide that this needs to go," he added.
Hardik Pandya has been bowling on a consistent basis since his break following the T20 World Cup 2021. He usually bowls his entire quota in the shortest format and is also often known to take the new ball himself.
Have Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya achieved enough to be compared to the legendary Yuvraj Singh? Let us know what you think.