Irfan Pathan vs Hardik Pandya: Statistical breakdown to find who is better
India has seen multiple world-class pace bowling all-rounders over the years. From legendary Kapil Dev to the modern era’s Hardik Pandya, the nature of the game might have changed, but some basic needs remain the same as before.
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India has seen multiple world-class pace bowling all-rounders over the years. From legendary Kapil Dev to the modern era’s Hardik Pandya, the nature of the game might have changed, but some basic needs remain the same as before. Through his article we will discuss Pandya and former international Irfan Pathan’s performances for team India through numbers.
Check the comparisons below:
Irfan Pathan:
When 19-year-old Irfan Pathan made his international debut for Team India during a Test match against Australia, in place of injured Zaheer Khan, he was by then known for his bowling abilities. He could swing the red ball in both ways with a medium pace. Pathan’s first Test fifer came against their all-time rival Pakistan in 2004; in the same year, he claimed his first 10-wicket Test figure as well, which was against Bangladesh. Later, Irfan developed his batting skills as well and, ultimately, evolved as a pace bowling all-rounder. The southpaw took part more in ODIs than in tests. But sadly, he never reached the heights he could have. During the later part of his career, delivery speed and swings gradually decreased. In his last One Day International match, Pathan took 5 wickets against Sri Lanka. His exclusion from the team was a surprising move from the team management.
Pathan's batting stats for India:
| Format |
Innings / Matches |
Runs | Avg | SR | 50s / 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 40/29 | 1,105 | 31.6 | 53.2 | 6 / 1 |
| ODI | 87/120 | 1,544 | 23.4 | 79.5 | 5 / 0 |
| T20I | 14/24 | 172 | 24.6 | 119.4 | 0 / 0 |
Pathan's bowling stats for India:
| Format | Matches / Innings | Wickets | Best (Innings / Matches) | Avg | Econ | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 29 / 54 | 100 | 7/59 / 12/126 | 32.26 | 3.29 | 58.8 |
| ODI | 120 / 118 | 173 | 5/27 | 29.72 | 5.27 | 33.8 |
| T20I | 24 / 23 | 28 | 3/16 | 22.07 | 8.03 | 16.5 |
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Hardik Pandya:
Contradictory to Irfan Pathan, Hardik Pandya is more than a batting all-rounder, rather than a bowling all-rounder. Pandya’s skill set perfectly fitslimited overs cricket. He was a central figure in India's trophy-winning at the 2024 T20I World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy. Proving his all-round capabilities, he became the first Indian player to score 30+ runs and take 4+ wickets in the same T20 World Cup match. Additionally, the Gujarat-born emerged as the first Indian all-rounder to reach number 1 in the T20I rankings. Pandya, now 31 years of age, still has enough time to add more achievements to his biodata.
Pandya's batting stats for India:
| Format | Innings / Matches | Runs | Avg | SR | 50s / 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 18/11 | 532 | 31.3 | 73.9 | 4 / 1 |
| ODI | 68/94 | 1,904 | 32.8 | 110.9 | 11 / 0 |
| T20I | 90/114 | 1,812 | 27.9 | 141.7 | 5 / 0 |
Pandya's bowling stats for India:
| Format | Matches / Innings | Wickets | Best Figures | Avg | Econ | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 11/19 | 17 | 5/28 (innings) – 6/50 (match) | 31.05 | 3.38 | 55.1 |
| ODI | 94/88 | 91 | 4/24 | 35.5 | 5.6 | 38 |
| T20I | 114/102 | 94 | 4/16 | 26.4 | 8.2 | 19.3 |
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Pritam Santra
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