I believe Sachin Tendulkar is the best batsman in the world but as a captain, he was lost: Shoaib Akhtar

While drawing a comparison between Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has stated that the ‘Master Blaster’ was a better batter but as a leader, he was lost. Akhtar revealed that the 49-year-old couldn’t prove himself as a captain and left it by himself. 

However, for Virat, Akhtar believes that the cricketer will perform when his mind is free. Citing an example of the T20 World Cup 2022, the former seamer mentioned that Virat can dominate the match if his mind is not occupied with anything.

“See, I believe Sachin Tendulkar is the best batsman in the world. But as a captain, he was lost. He left the captaincy himself,” said Akhtar while talking to Bol News.

“I was talking to one of my friends about Virat Kohli, and we were discussing the same thing. He was lost, and when he works on his mind, he will perform. When his mind became free, he ruled the T20 World Cup,” he added.

The former cricketer also lauded Virat Kohli for his performances in the past. The 47-year-old reminded everyone that at one stage, India used to win matches because of Virat Kohli’s centuries. 

“You also need to look that almost 40 centuries from Kohli came in run chases. People tell me that you praise Virat Kohli a lot. I just say, Why shouldn't I do that? During one stage, India used to win because of Virat's hundreds,” Akhtar added.

Virat’s Test form is a matter of concern for Indian team

Despite getting good starts, Virat Kohli is not being able to convert it into a big total in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In three matches so far, he has scored 111 runs and that’s a massive reason to worry about. Shreyas Iyer too is facing similar problems and that’s why India’s middle order looked very average so far in the series.

In the fourth and final Test in Ahmedabad, the Rohit Sharma-led side would hope to improve in this area and get a win in order to qualify for the finals of the World Test Championship.

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