He was the best batter but as a captain, he was lost: Shoiab Akhtar compares Sachin Tendulkar to Virat Kohli

Former Pakistan fast-bowler Shoiab Akhtar has said that legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar was the best batter but as a captain, he was lost, while comparing him to former India skipper Virat Kohli.

Speaking to Bol News, Ahktar said Tendulkar was the best batter in the world but struggled as a captain, adding that he left the captaincy himself. Tendulkar is the highest run-scorer in cricket history, amassing 34,357 runs across all formats of the game.

“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.

He then compared Tendulkar’s stint as India captain to Kohli's tenure, saying the 31-year-old looked free when he was playing for India at the recently concluded ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Kohli ended as the top-scorer at the T20 World Cup, hitting 296 runs at an amazing average of 98.66.

“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.

The former pacer went on to shower praise on Kohli, saying his centuries were the reason India used to win matches at one stage. Kohli has the most number of centuries among active players with 74 hundreds across all formats.

"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.

Kohli is currently part of India’s squad that is facing Australia in the four-match Border-Gavaskar series. India has a 2-1 lead in the series, with the final match set to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 9.