Shoaib Akhtar praised Virat Kohli, the batting sensation for India, for his dominance at the plate but said that if Kohli had been playing in a different age, he would not have been able to handle Wasim Akram.
The legendary fast bowler from Pakistan, Akhtar, is presently in the United Arab Emirates for the second edition of the ILT20, in which he is a pundit and brand ambassador. In remarks made ahead of this year’s ILT20, Akhtar referred to Kohli as the greatest batter of modern times.
Though Shoaib acknowledged that Kohli could have had difficulties if he had been a player, he thinks the former Indian captain would have been able to achieve the runs that he has so far amassed in his international career.
As quoted by ANI, Shoaib Akhtar said, “Back then, Sachin was playing with one ball, which would reverse swing against some of the best bowlers in the world. There was only one circle. Today, Sachin would have made a lot of runs. He is the greatest ever…Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara, etc.”
He added, “Wasim Akram and Shane Warne too. Virat would have been competitive (in our era). He could have faced difficulties but he would have scored the runs he has scored now. We would have faced a similar beating. But playing Wasim Akram is not easy.”
The former Pakistan fast bowler praised Virat Kohli later on. He said, “Virat is Virat. He is the greatest batter of this era. Both eras cannot be compared. Hats off to him. I want him to get a hundred centuries.”
Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar – best batters of Team India
Two of the best batters that have ever played the game are Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar. However, due to his consistency and the fact that Team India rely on him for batting, Kohli has been compared to the Master Blaster.
Having played in 522 international contests thus far, Kohli has amassed 26,733 runs with an average of 54.11. In addition, the renowned Indian batsman is credited with 80 centuries as well as 139 half-centuries. He is the only batter in history to reach 50 ODI centuries, and his highest score is 254* runs.
