"India always wanted an all-rounder like this for a long, long time" - Danish Kaneria on Hardik Pandya's impact for Team India

Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria praised Hardik Pandya for his recent exploits in the ODIs against England.

The all-rounder was named the Player of the Series after scoring 100 runs and taking six wickets in India's first 50-over series win on English soil since 2014.

Coming into the ODI leg on the back of a fruitful T20I series, Pandya made a huge difference to the team with his all-round performance. The 28-year-old stepped up with both bat and ball in India's five-wicket win in Manchester on Sunday (July 17).

He registered his career-best figures of 4/24 from seven overs, before scoring a match-defining 71 off just 55 balls with the bat.

Opining that Hardik Pandya brings a lot to the table with his all-round ability, Danish Kaneria said on his YouTube channel:

"India bowled well with the new ball in the absence of [Jasprit] Bumrah, but it was Hardik Pandya's day. India always wanted an all-rounder like this for a long, long time. They have always had a spin all-rounder, but India needed someone who could support the pace unit and batting."

The Baroda-born player has been one of India's best performers since his recall to the Indian team. A landmark Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 campaign with the Gujarat Titans (GT) played a huge part in his revival.

He captained the new franchise to the title in their very first season and scored 487 runs in the process, while proving to be more than handy with the ball.

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"Hardik Pandya is the No. 1 all-rounder in the world" - Danish Kaneria

Pandya was not part of the Indian side in the aftermath of their disastrous 2021 T20 World Cup campaign. The all-rounder used the time off to regain his full fitness and made his comeback in the home series against South Africa.

He also received the opportunity to lead India in the two-match T20I series against Ireland last month.

Praising Pandya for his role in Pant's match-winning knock, Kaneria said:

"Hardik Pandya is the No. 1 all-rounder in the world. He played a very important role in [Rishabh] Pant's innings, he kept talking to him throughout their partnership and gave him confidence. This is one of the best knocks in Pant's career so far, there is no doubt about it."

Pandya has been rested for the upcoming three-match ODI series against the West Indies. However, he is part of the squad for the subsequent five-match T20I series, which is set to be played in the Caribbean and the USA.