Dubai: With 8,947 runs in Test cricket, 13,906 in ODIs and 4,188 runs in T20Is, Virat Kohli is the greatest batsman of his generation. But of late, many people have drawn comparisons between him and Babar Azam of Pakistan, Steve Smith of Australia and Joe Root of England. With the former India captain struggling for runs in recent years, many pundits have jumped the gun and even declared their favorites better than Kohli.
But Pakistan’s recently retired pacer Mohammad Amir is unequivocal in his verdict that Kohli is the greatest batter of this generation. “Virat Kohli is the greatest batsman of this generation and comparisons with Babar, Smith or Root make me laugh,” Amir delivered his verdict in a recent podcast.
Speaking about Virat Kohli on the Cricket Predicta Show, Amir said, “Virat Kohli is the greatest player of this generation. I laugh when comparisons are made between him and Babar Azam, Steve Smith or Joe Root. We can’t compare Virat Kohli with anyone else. because he has won so many matches for India, which seems impossible for a player, not just in one format, but in all three formats, Virat is the best batsman of this generation.”
“Virat Kohli’s work ethic sets him apart from all players. After his bad phase in England in 2014, the way he made a comeback and then consistently performed brilliantly in the next 10 years was no ordinary feat. His wicket in the 2017 Champions Trophy final was very important for us, which helped us win the final. If Virat had not been dismissed we would have lost the final because we all know how exceptional Virat’s record is when he chases runs,” Amir said.
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Amir has a positive head-to-head matchup with Kohli, having dismissed the Indian batting jersey on two occasions, in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 and the ICC ODI World Cup 2019.
Amir shared interesting stories about dismissing Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli and about his life on the Cricket Predicta Show with its founder Sunil Yash Kalra.
“Dismissing Sachin was a special moment”
He said that dismissing Sachin Tendulkar for the first time was a memorable moment of his career. “Dismissing Sachin Tendulkar was the most special moment for me. I bowled him only once in my life during Champions Trophy 2009, which was held in South Africa and dismissed him when I was playing against India. I had seen him play cricket on TV and always used to think how brilliant a batsman Sachin was,” said Amir who recently retired from all forms of cricket.
Tendulkar was at the peak of his batting ability when Amir entered international cricket and was the most prized wicket for every bowler. So bowling to the batting champion in Champions Trophy 2009 was a big deal for Amir.
“Bowling against Sachin Tendulkar was a big thing for me. For three days after his dismissal I was not in my senses; I could not believe that I had taken Sachin Paaji’s wicket. I was new to cricket and he (Sachin Tendulkar) was A kind of player who had a deep understanding of all aspects of the game. When the captain gave me the ball I bowled him deep, my state was just like when I met Wasim Akram for the first time,” Amir said, recalling the moments.
Notably, it was the sixth clash of the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa, where Pakistan defeated arch-rivals India by 54 runs. Mohammad Amir got two crucial scalps from Sachin Tendulkar and power-hitter Yusuf Pathan, finishing with figures of 2/46 in eight overs. (IANS)
