Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar, both the cricketers are hailed as the two greatest cricketers to have ever played the game of cricket. While Sachin is fondly called the ‘God of cricket’ for his contribution to the game, on the other hand, Virat is often labeled as the successor of Sachin.
Sachin set many records in his glorious career with the Indian cricket team and Kohli has broken many of them. While both are arguably the best ever to have ever played the game, time and again, comparisons are made between the two.
Virat Kohli Opens Up On His Comparisons With Sachin Tendulkar
Recently, during a session on Jio Cinemas with former India cricketer Robin Uthappa, Virat was asked about his comparison with Sachin again. Responding to this, Virat Kohli came up with a straightforward reply. Calling Sachin as his source of inspiration, he said he takes the comparison with a lot of pride.
“For me, Sachin Paaji has always been an emotion. You speak to anyone they always looked at him as one of their own and that happens because there is so much faith everyone has in him, and in fact, when he was playing we used to feel comfortable. He is our source of inspiration and source of comfort which we all look for, when he used to score runs, life was good. It is like eating home food, you know the feel we get, the comfort,”
He added: “It is a very different kind of impact that he left on me. People who all like to enjoy comparing and stats, that is okay. I am just happy that in whatever way people see it, I have been able to carry that expectation forward. I can nurture and keep continuing to provide Indian cricket, and I know contributions are important and I feel honored to be in this position. I take a lot of pride in that and I am just grateful that the transition was able to happen soon,”
When asked about how does he feel when comparisons are made between Sachin and him. Responding to this he said:
“I just laugh it off every time. These people have no idea about the game. I feel embarrassed when I am compared to Sachin though I get where these people are coming from with all those statistics and stuff. But these stats tell you a different story. The impact a player leaves on you as a child growing up is very different,”
He further urged people to not compare anyone with the likes of Sachin and Viv Richards as they have inspired many players to take up cricket as a profession. Virat Kohli said:
“Nobody should be compared with Sachin and Viv Richards because they revolutionised the game in their era and the belief people had in them was rare, it rare to have that belief in one player,”
