"Virat can never be a greater player than Sachin"- Former Pakistan pacer explains why Kohli cannot match Tendulkar
Virat Kohli vs Sachin Tendulkar has always been a debate among Indian cricket fans. Some fans think Virat is the better batter, while others say Tendulkar is the best. Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar shared his views on this debate.
During an appearance on the TNKS show, Akhtar asserted that both Sachin and Virat are great batters. However, he did not believe Kohli was better than Tendulkar because of the difference in the bowling standards. In Akhtar's view, Tendulkar batted against top-quality bowlers, a thing missing from the modern era.
While comparing both Virat and Sachin, Akhtar said:
"I won't say Virat is a bigger player than Sachin. Virat can never be a greater player than Sachin. How can he be? Virat has never played that quality of bowling. It is not Virat's fault that he never played quality bowling." [27.30 onwards]
"Virat is a player of the T20 era, but the era where Sachin played, the talents against whom he played hats off. Sachin was a very big name. Even Ricky Ponting was a destructive batter of his era. What do you think? Playing fast bowlers of that era was a joke? There was reverse swing also at that time," he added.
Akhtar further mentioned that there is a lack of stars in the modern era of cricket. He urged ICC to relax some disciplinary rules so that there could be more characters in the game, thereby helping in marketing the sport better.
"There is only one Virat Kohli who is like a brand"- Shoaib Akhtar
In the same interview, Shoaib Akhtar commented that only one cricketer of the current era is marketable to new audiences, and he is Virat. In Akhtar's view, any player placed next to Kohli in the commercials felt like a forced inclusion.
"There is only one Virat Kohli who is like a brand. Who is there next to him? How will you sell cricket? Think like that. You can make anyone stand with him, but it will look forced. He has 70 [81] centuries," Akhtar said. [From 27.10 onwards]
Virat is currently in Australia, prepping for the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The match will start on December 14 at 5.50 am IST.