Hardik Pandya and Glenn Maxwell – the two superstars of modern-day cricket – will be eager to stamp their authority in the upcoming edition of T20 World Cup. While Pandya is arguably India’s X-factor, Australia have their own explosive all-rounder in Maxwell.
Speaking to model-turned-anchor Sanjana Ganesan on The ICC Review, legendary Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting refused to settle the best all-rounder debate involving Pandya and Maxwell.
“Hardik’s last few months, in particular, have probably been the best of his career. Looking at the way they stack up, I think Hardik will probably have more of a chance to have an impact with the ball and also more of a chance to have an impact with the bat,” Ponting said.
The former Australia captain backed Maxwell to upstage Pandya in terms of scoring runs at the 2022 T20 World Cup. However, Ponting feels Pandya will take more wickets than Maxwell.
“Maxwell’s been batting quite low in T20 cricket. But that being said, in Australia, I think Maxwell will end up scoring more runs than Hardik. And I think Hardik will take more wickets than Maxwell. So, I’m going to call that one a draw,” Ponting added.
Australia will kickstart their T20 World Cup campaign against New Zealand at the SCG on October 22. On the other hand, India will play their first game of Super 12 stage against Pakistan on October 23.