“If Sachin had batted on such wickets, he would have made 200 hundreds” - Sreesanth disagrees with Khawaja’s “Kohli better than Tendulkar” claim
Former India pacer S Sreesanth disagrees with Australian batter Usman Khawaja's claim that Virat Kohli is better than Sachin Tendulkar in ODIs. While describing Kohli as a modern-day great, Sreesanth opined that Tendulkar would have scored 200 international hundreds if he had faced today’s bowlers, and that too on such batting-friendly pitches.
The Kohli vs Tendulkar debate has been raging on for a few years now. Speaking to Fox Cricket recently, Khawaja picked Kohli above Tendulkar as an ODI batter. While the Master Blaster amassed 18426 runs in 452 innings at an average of 44.83, Kohli has smashed 13437 runs in 274 innings at an average of 58.16. The latter is just one short of equaling Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI tons.
Despite Kohli’s exceptional record, Sreesanth told Sportskeeda that there is no comparison between him and Tendulkar. According to the former fast bowler, Kohli has had it a bit easier because the quality of bowling and nature of pitches are not the same as ones during Tendulkar’s era.
“Never [no comparison]. Very simple theory. Virat is a legend of the modern era. He has got a lot of records, but if we look at the standard of bowling, the one that Sachin faced and the one the Virat is facing, there is a huge difference. The pressure situation is the same, but the quality of bowling… There are so many hundreds being scored even in the IPL," Sreesanth said.
“Virat cannot be compared with Sachin because the difference in the two eras is huge. Name one bowler who can bowl six balls in an over at the same spot. The perfection with which Wasim Akram, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne bowled; Sachin answered all of them with his bat. Virat is the same, but I don’t remember Sachin getting out to the same bowler again and again,” the 40-year-old added.
“If Sachin had batted on such wickets, he would have made 200 hundreds and not 100 hundreds. I am not saying anything against Virat, but he himself would accept that if so many matches were played back then in a year, add to it the support staff and facilities to keep yourself younger, you can never compare Sachin to Kohli,” Sreesanth concluded.
Tendulkar is widely regarded as one of the greatest batters to have played the game, even drawing comparisons with Sir Don Bradman.
“Sachin Tendulkar will stay as the eighth wonder of the world” - Sreesanth
Sreesanth, who was Tendulkar’s teammate during the 2011 ODI World Cup, which India went on to win, also analyzed the impact of the legend’s performances in cricket.
According to the 40-year-old, the sport became a religion in India because of the great batter, whom he described as the eighth wonder of the world.
“Because of Sachin, cricket is cricket. He made the sport a religion in India. Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar also did really well. I respect all of them, but Sachin’s respect is of a different level. From late 1980s to as recently as the Road Safety Series, it was amazing to watch him play as a 50-year-old. At the age of 19 (16), he faced legends like Wasim, Waqar and Imran Khan at their peak,” Sreesanth said.
“As for Virat, even now when the ball moves outside the off stump, he flirts at it sometimes. Sachin Tendulkar will stay there as the eighth wonder of the world,” he concluded.
Kohli is currently the second-leading run-getter in the 2023 World Cup, having scored 354 runs in five innings at an average of 118 and a strike rate of 90.54.