Former Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq opined Sachin Tendulkar the GOAT over Virat Kohli based on the quality bowling attack he faced during his career. Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli both are stalwarts of their generations.
Virat Kohli is on the verge of equaling Sachin Tendulkar‘s 49 centuries record in the ODI Cricket, Virat Kohli has 46 centuries in 262 innings with a stupendous batting average of 57.7. Many experts also believe Virat Kohli (75) can cross the master blaster’s record of 100 centuries in International Cricket.
Saqlain Mushtaq speaking on the Nadir Ali podcast said Sachin Tendulkar is the best batter in the world and was known for elegant batting and mesmerized the world with his batting.
“If there is one batter – and it’s not just me, the whole world agrees – there is no one bigger than Sachin Tendulkar. If you have to give a copybook example of any shot, people give Sachin’s example. Virat Kohli is a legend of today’s era but Sachin has faced extremely difficult bowlers,” Mushtaq said.
The former Pakistan Cricketer reckoned that Sachin Tendulkar faced a quality bowling attack when compared to Virat Kohli with the likes of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, and Curtly Ambrose during his playing days and further added that the bowlers in this generation are more defensive in their bowling rather than going for wickets.
“The bowlers of that era were something different altogether. Has Kohli faced Wasim Akram? Has he faced Walsh, Ambrose, McGrath, Shane Warne, and Muralitharan? These were big names and they were all very clever bowlers. They knew how to trap you. Today there are two types of bowlers – one that will stop you and another that will trap you. Those guys knew how to do them both – especially trap batters.
When asked about Virat Kohli and Babar Azam’s comparison, Mushtaq said they are different players and has a different ability and added the Pakistan Skipper’s cover drive is pleasing to watch.
Sachin Tendulkar Just Played Me Cautiously – Saqlain Mushtaq
Former Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq recalled the memories of his battle against Sachin Tendulkar in an epic India vs Pakistan clash in 1999 where Pakistan beat India by 12 runs in Chennai.
Saqlain Mushtaq took the crucial wicket of India’s master blaster, which turned the match in the favour of Pakistan. He dismissed Sachin in the first innings and in the second innings, Sachin came up with a different plan against him defending his balls at ease.
“I tried off-spin, doosra, top-spin, arm-ball, bowled quicker off-breaks, flighted deliveries… he just played me cautiously for 10-12 overs. After that, he started smashing me,” he added.