Former captain and fast bowler of Pakistan cricket team Wasim Akram named the best modern day cricketer and drew comparison between two of India’s greatest batsman of all time – Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar and the run machine Virat Kohli during his appearance in Aakash Chopra’s popular YouTube show recently.
Arguably the greatest fast bowler Pakistan has ever produced, Akram remained a renowned figure and a flagbearer of swing bowling throughout his career. Nicknamed the Sultan of Swing for his gifted ability to swing the ball both ways, Akram was indeed a nightmare for any premier batsman of his generation.
From Sachin Tendulkar to legendary West Indies batsman Brian Lara, Akram has managed to keep even the greatest of players on their toes with his late inswingers and toe crushers during his playing days for Pakistan. Even today he is considered a role model for all players across the globe who wishes to master the art of swing bowling.
Akram compared two of the finest batsmen across generations – Tendulkar and Kohli. While Tendulkar used to remain cool, calm and collected during his stay at the pitch, skipper Kohli is known for his aggressive batting style.
Interestingly, Akram opined that both Tendulkar and Kohli are aggressive batsman although they are different players altogether.
Kohli is the modern day great says Akram
“He [Virat] is the modern great but compared to Sachin, these are two different players altogether. Both are aggressive but of varying nature. As a bowler you look at a batsman’s body language, if I sledged Tendulkar he would have become more determined because he was aggressive but calm in nature,” Akram said.
“On the other hand, if I did the same to Kohli, he might get angry and try to attack me which gives me a good chance to take his wicket,” the pace great added.
Akram, who is the highest wicket for Pakistan in 50-over format also hailed the batting genius of Kohli and asserted that the current Indian skipper across all formats is a nightmare for bowlers in the current era.
“As far his technique is concerned, Virat Kohli is a nightmare for bowlers nowadays. He is supremely fit and will go on to break a lot of records,” the former Pakistan skipper added.