"If He Stays Fit...": South Africa Great's High Praise For 'One Of The Best' Hardik Pandya

Rating Hardik Pandya as one of the best fast-bowling allrounders, former South African great Lance Klusener on Saturday believes the Indian possibly gave up on Test cricket a bit too easily to manage his workload. Plagued by injuries, Pandya, who last played Tests for India in September 2018, has limited himself to only playing white-ball cricket and ruled himself out of the upcoming World Test Championship final against Australia. "He (Pandya) is a fantastic cricketer, and if he can stay fit and continues to bowl 135 kmph, he will always be challenging... as one of the best allrounders in the world," Klusener told reporters in a media interaction at the Calcutta Sports Journalists' Club.

Pandya had ruled himself out saying it would not be "ethical" to take someone's place without even contributing one per cent in India's journey to the WTC final.

Asked if Pandya gave up on Test cricket a bit too easily, Klusener said, "Yes, possibly. Test cricket (is) always the pinnacle of testing where you are as a cricketer, and testing yourselves.

"Test cricket hasn't really changed much from way back but I also understand that times have moved on as well."

Pace-bowling allrounders not dibbly-dobblers

Klusener further said a fast-bowling allrounder is not a "dibbly-dobbler" but someone who can clock 135kph consistently.

"Fast bowling allrounders need to be bowling 135. I don't think there would be some dibbly-dobblers that we used to see in England, I don't think all that (is) effective anymore.

"I honestly believe that a guy like Ben Stokes who bowls 135, those people are still gold in any form of the game," said Klusener, a member of the 1999 ODI World Cup team that had a heartbreak loss to Australia in the semi-final.

But