Hardik Pandya is better than Shardul Thakur as all-rounder: Former cricketer makes BIG statement

Ahead of the first ODI between West Indies and India, former New Zealand cricketer Scott Styris said that he doesn't see Shardul Thakur as an all-rounder.

"One thing he (Shardul Thakur) has at his advantage is the fact that he bats, and we've seen him play many match-winning innings for India usually in the longer versions of the game. But he does possess that ability to hit boundaries, close out innings or put the final touches, the cherry on the top if you like is one thing that he does have to his advantage," said Scott Styris on SPORTS18's show 'SPORTS OVER THE TOP'.

"The downside is the emergence of Hardik Pandya as a genuine all-rounder. Do you need two of those styles of players? Because Shardul Thakur isn't as good as Hardik Pandya. I don't believe he is an all-rounder. So maybe he's fighting for a backup spot rather than one of those players to play as a front liner," Styris added.

Styris further discussed Prasidh Krishna's capabilities and talent in the limited over formats.

"Yeah, not a bad comparison. I would say that Prasidh Krishna is a little bit quicker than Glen McGrath, there's no question about that. But the question is, can he sustain that throughout the whole innings? If we're talking ODIs then upfront I think there's no question," said Styris.

"Pace and bounce as a batsman, from experience, is the hardest thing to play. He's got that in spades. He's brilliant with a new ball in his hand. The question about Prasidh Krishna is at the death. We've seen him in the Indian T20 league," he added.

The Men in Blue are led by Shikhar Dhawan in the ODI series. He is the seventh skipper to lead India this year during the three-match ODI series against the Men in Maroon.

Original captain Rohit Sharma and experienced players like Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya have been rested for the ODI series.

Talking about the first ODI, Dhawan made a well-crafted 97 while Shubmam Gill made a classy 64 in his ODI comeback before India held their nerves to pull off a three-run win over the West Indies in the series opener here. Openers Dhawan (97 off 99 balls) and Gill (64 off 53) shared a 119-run stand before the West Indies fought back to restrict India to 308 for seven.

The West Indies needed 15 off the final over for a record chase at Queens Park Oval but Mohammed Siraj was able to stop a rampaging Romario Shepherd (38 not out off 25). At the top of the order, Kyle Mayers (75 off 68) and Shamarh Brooks (46 off 61) raised West Indies' hopes with a 117-run stand for the second wicket before Brandon King (54 off 66) took the game deep. In the end, the West Indies fell short and ended at 305 for six.

The other two ODI matches will be played on July 24, and July 27 at the historic Queen's Park Oval. They will be followed by a five-match T20I series from July 29 to August 7.