Sachin never played an innings like Gavaskar did: Imran Khan

"Sachin never played an innings like Gavaskar did. Look, Gavaskar faced a West Indies attack that had four world class fast bowlers. His record does not tell his actual contribution. I always felt sorry for him when he, alone, used to face a range of fast bowlers when there were none in his own country before Kapil Dev arrived on the scene," Imran Khan said at 'Agenda Aajtak' when asked to compare Sachin and Gavaskar, as reported by PTI.

But the World Cup winner was quick to remind that it is unfair to compare players of two completely different eras. He said,”Sunny played in an era when Dennis Lillee, arguably the best fast bowler, played. Zaheer's (Abbas) timing was impeccable. Majid (Khan) was also the best at his peak and then there was Javed (Miandad). But I do not want to undermine Sachin's achievements and believe comparing players from different eras is not fair."

Imran Khan shared the stage on the show with Kapil Dev and both were asked to pick their all-time XI. While the former Indian all-rounder picked Anil Kumble in his team, Imran Khan opted for Abdul Qadir.

"Don't underestimate Abdul Qadir. Qadir bowled at a time when no leg-spinner got an LBW on the front foot. Shane Warne got so many LBWs on the front foot. So imagine the number of wickets Qadir would have had if he would have played in today's times," he added.

Khan, who is Pakistan's most successful captain, also praised India's limited overs skipper Mahendra Singh. He picked Dhoni as his wicketkeeper and applauded his reliability as a player.

"Dhoni is a player you can count on in tough times," Khan remarked.

The Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf also expressed his admiration for Kapil Dev, saying, "When Kapil arrived, I saw a bowler bowl a bouncer for the first time and that was an exhibition match. He was also a flamboyant batsman and a genuine all-rounder".