Former Pakistan gun fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar stated that Sachin Tendulkar was the best batter in the world but as a captain, he was lost. Tendulkar is hailed as one of the best batters to have graced the sport but he didn’t have a great captaincy record.
The Master Blaster led in 25 Test matches but the team only managed to win four Tests while they lost nine games, with 12 matches ending in draws. Tendulkar had a long stint as the ODI captain but India only managed to win 23 out of 73 matches in his captaincy tenure.
“See, I believe Sachin Tendulkar is the best batsman in the world. But as a captain, he was lost. He left the captaincy himself,” said Akhtar while speaking to BoI news.
On the other hand, Akhtar feels Virat Kohli was able to get the best out of himself in the 2022 T20 World Cup after he decided to relinquish his captaincy duties. Kohli was known for his aggressive captaincy and took Indian cricket to new heights, especially in Test cricket.
“I was talking to one of my friends about Virat Kohli, and we were discussing the same thing. He was lost, and when he works on his mind, he will perform. When his mind became free, he ruled the T20 World Cup,” Akhtar added.
Kohli scored 296 runs in six matches at an average of 98.66 in the 2022 T20 World Cup. Furthermore, the talisman scored a masterpiece knock of unbeaten 82 runs off just 53 balls in the opening match of the T20I showpiece against arch-rivals Pakistan.
Moreover, Kohli has an immaculate record while chasing in ODI cricket. The right-hander has amassed 5428 runs in 164 ODI matches (in which India has won) while chasing at an average of 90.46, including 22 centuries.
“You also need to look that almost 40 centuries from Kohli came in run chases. People tell me that you praise Virat Kohli a lot. I just say, Why shouldn’t I do that? During one stage, India used to win because of Virat’s hundreds,” said Akhtar.
While Virat Kohli has got his form back in the limited-overs format, he is yet to get a big score in Test cricket. Kohli has scored only 111 runs in three Test matches against Australia in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar series.
The fourth Test match will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad from March 9.
