New Delhi: India's legendary allrounder Kapil Dev on Wednesday said Hardik Pandya does not deserve to be compared with him if he keeps making silly mistakes like he did in the second Test against South Africa.
Pandya is often discussed as India's best allrounder since the days of the legendary Kapil.
The former India captain criticised Pandya's batting performance in the second Test against South Africa in Centurion.
"If Pandya keeps making silly mistakes like these, then he doesn't deserve to be compared with me," Kapil told a news channel.
The 1983 World Cup-winner was reacting to Pandya's dismissal in the second innings.
Chasing a target of 287 in the fourth innings, India were reeling at 65/5 when Pandya came in to bat.
Pandya was on six when he went for his famous ramp shot and chased a wide ball off Lungi Ngidi, only managing an edge to wicketkeeper Quinton De Kock.
In the first inning too, Pandya ran himself out when he forgot to ground his bat. The casual approach was criticised by experts.
"He definitely has a lot of talent; he has shown it in the first Test but I believe he needs to work on the mental aspect," Kapil said.
Former India cricketer Sandeep Patil also mentioned that comparing the two was not ideal because Pandya is still in early stages of his cricketing career.
"I have played a lot of cricket with Kapil, really there is no comparison. Kapil played 15 years for India with terrific performance and Pandya is only in his fifth Test match. There is a long way to go," Patil said.
