Former wicketkeeper Kiran More has backed Baroda all-rounder Hardik Pandya to become the Indian version of Adam Gilchrist in Test cricket.
The 23-year-old Pandya, who had an impressive start to the longer format of the game in Sri Lanka, has come in for high praise from More.
It was at More's cricket academy that Pandya took his first steps into the game as a five-year-old. Now, More is proud of his ward and feels he can destroy bowling attacks batting at number 7 in Test cricket. He believes Pandya can take 250 Test wickets and score 15 hundreds.
"It is always a dream come true for any cricketer to play Tests. He (Pandya) got an opportunity thanks to the team management and selectors. They want him as a third seamer all-rounder. The thinking is right and it will help Indian cricket," More told International Business Times, India, in an exclusive interview at Bengaluru's National Cricket Academy (NCA).
More, a former national selector now training wicketkeepers at NCA, recalled how he had "teased" Pandya about not getting a first-class hundred, and is now happy he has scored his maiden ton in Tests. Right-handed Pandya, in only his second Test, hit 108 against Sri Lanka at Pallekele recently.
"They want to groom him at No 7 like Kapil Dev and Ravi Shastri. Those days, the duo scored hundreds and got five-wicket hauls too. Indian cricket will gain from Hardik Pandya's inclusion. It has been a great start for him in Test cricket," he said.
"I always used to tease him that he had not scored a hundred in first-class cricket. I asked him 'you prove me wrong by scoring a ton in first-class cricket and then in Tests'. So he has proved me wrong. He has got a hundred in Test cricket.
"I hope he gets 250 wickets and about 10 to 15 centuries in Test cricket. He has a great potential to achieve these numbers. He is a brilliant batsman. He can destroy bowling attacks. Batting at No. 7 that is what Adam Gilchrist did for Australia. He can become like him (Gilchrist). Dhoni did that for the Indian team in the past," he added.
The 54-year-old, who played 49 Tests and 94 ODIs for India, said comparing Pandya with past great all-rounders was not right and called it a "TV gimmick".
"I spoke to him after his Test hundred. He is still learning and there is lot of work to be done. He has to keep performing all the time in international cricket.
"It happens in all sports (comparisons). For example in tennis, Roger Federer is compared with past legends. Stats and comparisons are TV gimmicks. That is how TV shows go on. Of course sometimes it plays on a cricketer's mind. You have to neglect that. You don't have to compare and each player know what he is," More concluded.
