Pakistan fast-bowling great Wasim Akram believes that as a bowler, it is more advantageous to sledge India captain Virat Kohli than it was to sledge batting legend Sachin Tendulkar.
Talking to Aakash Chopra on his YouTube Channel, Akram said that there are more chances of Kohli losing his cool and throwing away his wicket when sledged, as compared to Tendulkar who would only get more determined.
“Virat is a modern great. Compared to Sachin, they are two different players altogether. Virat is very aggressive... as a person, as a batsman. But it’s positive aggression. Sachin was calm and yet aggressive, he had a different body language. So as a bowler you read that as well,” said Akram.
“Sachin knew that if I would try and sledge him, he would get even more determined. This is my take and I might be wrong. If I am to sledge Kohli, he will lose his temper. So, when a batsman gets angry, perhaps he will attack you and that is when you have the maximum chances of getting him out.”
Tendulkar holds nearly every batting record in cricket but Kohli has been hunting them down for a while now. The current India skipper still has a long way to go but for fans, this continues to be a fascinating watch.
Sachin Tendulkar's career stats
| Format | Mat | Inns | Runs | Ave | SR | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 200 | 329 | 15,921 | 53.78 | 54.08 | 51 | 68 |
| ODI | 463 | 452 | 18,426 | 44.83 | 86.23 | 49 | 96s |
Virat Kohli's career stats
| Format | Mat | Inns | Runs | Ave | SR | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 86 | 145 | 7,240 | 53.62 | 57.68 | 27 | 22 |
| ODI | 248 | 239 | 11,867 | 59.33 | 93.25 | 43 | 58 |
As far as Akram is concerned, Tendulkar’s records may be far too big for Kohli to break.
“I can’t compare them both but I think Virat Kohli will go places and he will break so many records. Can he break Sachin’s record? I doubt it. He has far too many records,” said Akram.
Watch Wasim Akram’s chat with Aakash Chopra here: