Gautam Gambhir picks better batsman between Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli
Former Indian cricket team opener Gautam Gambhir recently shared his thoughts on why he feels Sachin Tendulkar is a better batsman than current Indian skipper, Virat Kohli.
Speaking on the Star Sports Cricket Connected Show, Gambhir shed light on how the new rules have helped the current crop of batsmen.
“Sachin Tendulkar, because probably with one white ball and four fielders inside the circle, not five fielders outside, it will be Sachin Tendulkar for me. It's difficult because Virat Kohli has done phenomenally well but I think the rules have changed as well, which has helped a lot of new batters," Gambhir said.
Gambhir made his Indian cricket team debut against Bangladesh in April 2003 and was a key member of India's World Cup-winning squads at the 2007 World T20 and the 2011 World Cup.
The southpaw played a total of 58 ODIs, 147 Test matches and 37 T20Is for India, and put up quite a few notable partnerships with both Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.
Gambhir feels Tendulkar played in tougher conditions when compared to Virat Kohli
The former opener drew curtains on his playing career in early December 2018, and since then, Gambhir has voiced out his opinions on the world of cricket as a commentator and expert.
The two-time IPL winning captain further elucidated about how it has been a lot easier for Virat Kohli and the new generation to bat as a result of the developments to the rules rung in by the International Cricket Council.
"The new generation, with 2 new balls, no reverse swing, nothing for the finger spin, five fielders inside for the 50 overs, probably that makes batting much easier. Look at how Sachin Tendulkar has played, different rules, that time 230 to 240, was a winning total. Probably I’ll go with Sachin Tendulkar if we see the longevity and flow of the one-day cricket format," Gambhir added.
Virat Kohli is one of the world's most consistent batsmen at the current moment, and is perched at the top of the ICC batsmen's ODI rankings. From 248 matches, Virat Kohli has made 11867 runs, including 43 centuries and is certainly on his way to break numerous records in the foreseeable future.