#1 Hardik Pandya
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Over the last couple of decades, the Indian fans have longed to see an all-rounder capable of winning matches for the team with both bat and ball; someone in the mould of Kapil Dev. The emergence of Hardik Pandya has fulfiled their wishes and the 24-year-old has consistently performed ever since his debut.
2017 saw him scale greater heights. With the bat, Hardik looked a lot more mature than he did in 2016, compiling 557 runs (59 fewer than Ben Stokes) in 19 innings at an average of 35 and a strike-rate of 120.56, the best among players with at least 450 runs. His 76 against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final and 83 against Australia at Chennai showed what a precocious talent he is with the bat.
There is also the small matter of him finishing 2017 as the joint fifth highest wicket-taker, with 31 wickets from 27 innings at an average of 35.51 and an economy rate of 5.51.
With more than twice the number of wickets as Stokes, a better average, and a better economy rate, Pandya sits atop the list.
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