<img title="Karsan Ghavri delivers a talk during a Legends Club function at Cricket Club of India yesterday. Pic/Suresh Karkera" src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/2018/jan/ghavri.jpg" alt="Karsan Ghavri delivers a talk during a Legends Club function at Cricket Club of India yesterday. Pic/Suresh Karkera" /> Karsan Ghavri delivers a talk during a Legends Club function at Cricket Club&nbsp; of India yesterday. Pic/Suresh Karkera
Kapil Dev's new ball partner from 1978 to 1981, Karsan Ghavri has vehemently disagreed to the legendary all-rounder's view that current India stalwart Hardik Pandya is better than him (Kapil).
Kapil drew admiration for his modesty when he made that statement in the media recently after Pandya scored a brilliant 93 off 95 balls in the opening India v South Africa Test at Cape Town where the visitors ended up losing by 72 runs. "Kapil was a champion and a masterpiece. It's very hard to get a cricketer and athlete like him in our country," said Ghavri while speaking at a Legends Club function held at the Cricket Club of India yesterday to celebrate Kapil's birthday which was on January 6. India's 1983 World Cup-winning captain turned 59.
"Pandya is nowhere near Kapil. Even if he has to reach there, he has long way to go. It's a very difficult comparison... he is nowhere near him right now. When will he match Kapil's achievements and contribution, only time will tell," said Ghavri.
The left-arm fast bowler, who could also bowl spin and came up with some more than useful contributions with the bat, opened with Kapil for the first time in the third Test of India's 1978-79 tour of Pakistan at Karachi. Interestingly, Mohinder Amarnath opened the bowling with Kapil on his debut at Faisalabad while Sunil Gavaskar and skipper Bishan Singh Bedi did so in the next Test at Lahore.
Another speaker at the function was Raju Kulkarni, who made his Test debut under Kapil in 1986. "I don't want to get into Kapil Dev as a cricketer because in cricket they say, never talk about Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar's cricket because that (greatness) is something which you can't really measure. I would say, he was an amazing cricketer and a very down to earth person," said Kulkarni, 55.
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Virat Kohli and Co chill with elite company during dinner in South Africa

Kapil Dev's new ball partner from 1978 to 1981, Karsan Ghavri has vehemently disagreed to the legendary all-rounder's view that current India stalwart Hardik Pandya is better than him (Kapil)

Hardik Pandya is nowhere near Kapil Dev: Karsan Ghavri

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Hardik Pandya is nowhere near Kapil Dev: Karsan Ghavri

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