"He's the best in the business" - Ravi Shastri lavishes praise on India star amid NZ vs IND ODI series

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri praised Hardik Pandya on Tuesday, declaring the all-rounder the finest player in T20 cricket when operating at full fitness.

Speaking during coverage of India's ongoing ODI series against New Zealand for Sony Sports Network, Shastri backed the 32-year-old to make an emphatic return.

"Wherever he goes, if he's fully fit, he's the best in the business, you know, in T20 cricket, and a genuine match-winner," Shastri said. "And, you know, he might just be charged up - he's not played cricket for a while. He might just be charged up to come out there and, you know, show what he's capable of."

Pandya has been sidelined from competitive cricket since May. His injury troubles surfaced during the 2026 Indian Premier League, where recurring back spasms forced him to miss four matches. A subsequent leg strain lengthened his rehabilitation and kept him out of domestic action, including the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy squad.

National selectors have emphasized that Pandya must prove his fitness in domestic matches before earning a recall.

Ross Taylor echoes Ravi Shastri's words, highlights Pandya's dual-skill value

Former New Zealand captain Ross Taylor also lauded Hardik Pandya’s value, emphasizing that top-tier all-rounders remain rare in the modern game.

Taylor noted that Pandya provides critical balance, allowing India tactical flexibility in high-scoring limited-overs fixtures.

"I mean, you've got world-class all-rounders, there's only a diamond dozen of them," Taylor said. "And when you've got a player of his ability, who is as good with the bat and the ball, the balance of your team just improves. So you can either have an extra batter or an extra bowler and, you know, we're seeing all these high-scoring matches. Having bowlers that you can obviously take early wickets, but also bowl depth just to, I mean, just to try and keep the score under 250 sometimes."

"It's unbelievable, but he's still a world-class player with a lot of cricket left in him. I think both teams will benefit if that is the case, as, you know, it is only a rumor at this stage, but we have to wait and see," Taylor added.

Pandya is currently in rehabilitation at the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) Centre of Excellence. He will look to regain full fitness ahead of the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka next month.

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