Mumbai: Master Blaster, also called the God of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar has been kept under scrutiny of ‘analogy’ against India’s current skipper Virat Kohli, by former Pakistani captain, Muhammad Yousuf.
Even after delivering breathtaking shots and mesmerising conducts in Pune for his match-winning 122 against England in the first ODI, the Indian captain scored less in accordance to Yousuf’s scale in comparison to Tendulkar. “I don’t want to take anything away from Kohli. He is an exceptional talent. But I rate Tendulkar much higher because of the era he played in, against the best teams, fast bowlers and spinners,” Yousuf told PTI in an interview.
“Nowadays, the quality of players is not the same as it was say in the ‘90s and until 2011. After the 2011 World Cup, the quality has come down. Tendulkar was a world-class player and this can be judged by the number of runs and hundreds he scored against strong opposition in all conditions and in all formats,” Yousuf said. “I played a lot against Tendulkar and he was a masterclass and produced match winning knocks many a times. I don’t think Kohli is facing the same quality bowlers or opposition.”
However, last year, Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan rated Virat Kohli higher than Tendulkar in critical moments. “Cricket has had eras. In the eighties, it was Viv Richards, and then you had Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar who stood out. Virat Kohli is one of the most complete players I’ve seen. He’s so versatile; he plays on both feet, and on all sides of the field,’’ Khan told Hindustan Times in an exclusive interview at his Islamabad residence.
“Apart from his talent and technique, he has a very good temperament. His temperament is better than Sachin’s. Kohli performs at the most difficult of opportunities, which Sachin sometimes wasn’t able to,” Khan told HT. The former Pakistani all-rounder and captain, who was in Kolkata to watch a World T20 match between India and Pakistan in March in 2016, was quoted saying, “It was very painful watching Pakistan lose, but Kohli played a very good game. I look at batsmen from a bowler’s point of view and I think of how to get them out. Just look at how Kohli plays in difficult situations. He’s better than anyone. I’d say he’s the best internationally, today. You can back him to play any match.”
Nonetheless, India is glad to survive with the fact that, two legendary cricketers from across the border have showered praises on two Indian greats who were born on this soil and stood out in conformity to their respective eras.