Comparing Kohli with Babar, Smith or Root makes me laugh, says Mohd Amir

Dubai (UAE), Dec 21 (IANS) 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 in recent times, 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 the last couple of years, many experts have jumped the gun and even proclaimed their favourites as 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 passed his judgment 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 cannot compare Virat Kohli to anyone because he has won so many matches- for India, which seems impossible for any one player. Not just in one format, but in all three formats, Virat is the greatest 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 for 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 while chasing runs,” said Amir.

Amir has a positive head-to-head matchup with Kohli, having dismissed the Indian batting stalwart on two occasions, in ICC Champions Trophy 2017 and ICC ODI World Cup 2019.

Amir shared interesting stories about dismissing Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli and about his life in the Cricket Predicta Show with its founder Sunil Yash Kalra.

He said 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 to him only once in my life during the 2009 Champions Trophy, which was held in South Africa, and dismissed him while playing against India. I had seen him play cricket on TV and always used to think about how brilliant a batsman Sachin was,” said Amir who retired from all formats of cricket recently.

Tendulkar was at the peak of his batting prowess when Amir made an entry into international cricket and was the most cherished wicket for every bowler. So, bowling to the batting maestro in the 2009 Champions Trophy was a big thing for Amir.

“Bowling to Sachin Tendulkar was a big thing for me. For three days after his dismissal, I was not in my senses; I could not believe I had taken Sachin Paaji’s wicket. I was new to cricket and he (Sachin Tendulkar) was the kind of player who had a deep understanding of every aspect of the game. When the captain handed me the ball, my heart was pounding. I took a deep breath and bowled to him. My condition was exactly like when I met Wasim Akram for the first time,” Amir said recalling those moments.

Notably, it was the sixth clash of the ICC Champions Trophy 2009 in South Africa, in which Pakistan defeated the arch-rivals India by 54 runs. Mohammad Amir bagged two crucial scalps of Sachin Tendulkar and power-hitter Yusuf Pathan, ending up with figures of 2/46 in eight overs.

–IANS

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