Former Pakistan cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq has recently admitted that team India skipper Virat Kohli can only match to the reputation of legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
Meanwhile, Kohli has been in scintillating form in the ongoing five-match Test series against England. He is the highest run-getter of the series with 440 runs including two centuries and fifties each. On the back of such rich performance, Virat Kohli crawled back to the top of the ICC Test rankings.
In Saqlain Mushtaq’s eyes, comparing eras makes no sense. However, if anyone of the modern-generation can come close to Tendulkar, he is none other than Kohli.
“As a batsman, Sachin was a very big player. I cannot compare (two eras) but today Virat is the only one who comes close,” Saqlain said to PTI.
Furthermore, the legendary spinner feels India’s chances depend on how Virat Kohli fare in the next two Tests. He has been leading the side from the front and needs to continue doing the same.
“We were talking amongst the English support staff about how he played at Trent Bridge. In this third Test alone, Jimmy Anderson beat his outside edge 40 times, and yet he played the next ball with so much confidence. Virat plays ball by ball, run by run and session by session,” Saqlain Mushtaq added.
Saqlain Mushtaq talks highly of Virat Kohli
Kohli led India with two fine knocks at Trent Bride to beat England by 203 runs. He scored a magnificent 97 in the first innings and backed it with a hundred in the second essay.
Mushtaq shared high praise for Kohli saying that the presence of Virat Kohli will boost any team.
The way Virat is scoring runs, it is ominous for England. During the first Test, I saw a signboard that said it is ‘England versus Virat Kohli’. If you take him out of the equation, it will be very easy for England.
“If you see from a coaching point of view, it is because of him the others have scored runs whilst batting with him. Having a world class batsman like Virat in your team certainly boosts the entire batting line-up,” Saqlain Mushtaq concluded.