"If I were captain, I would have Hardik Pandya in any team in the world" - Muttiah Muralitharan

Legendary Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has supported under-fire Indian all-rounder Hardik Pandya after his indifferent form in the recently concluded ODI series.

The 27-year old had a dismal series as he could score only 19 runs across three games with the bat. In the bowling department, he took two wickets but proved to be expensive as he gave away runs at an economy rate of 6.92 in the three ODIs.

Speaking on ESPNCricinfo, Muttiah Muralitharan opined that Hardik Pandya is a special player and has the potential to be on any side in the world.

"Hardik Pandya is a special player. If I were captain, I would have him in any team in the world – an IPL team, an Australian team, or any team in the world. Because he possesses the ability to bowl at 140 mph, and at the same time, he can adjust and also bowl slower. But I feel because of the injury, Hardik could not do much in the ODI series."

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Let Hardik Pandya play his own game:

Muttiah Muralitharan

The 49-year old retired cricketer then explained the impact players like Pandya could have on an innings if they got into the groove and faced more than 30 balls.

He urged the fans and team management to be patient and let Hardik play his natural game to extract the best results.

"He might get out in the first two overs, but if he clicks for 20-30 balls, he can score 50 runs. So that is the expectation from Hardik Pandya. If you make him play 70 balls and expect 90 runs, he would not be the same player. It's like asking Jayasuriya to open and score at the pace of run a ball. He won't be successful. Put him in and let him play his own game."