Virat Kohli should not be compared to Sachin Tendulkar, believes Jonty Rhodes
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Former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes believes the current Indian skipper Virat Kohli should not be compared to former cricketing great Sachin Tendulkar as both players belong to different eras of the game. The 48-year-old fielding legend also termed Suresh Raina as India's best fielder.
India's run machine Virat Kohli has so far scored 8257 runs at an average of 54.68 in ODIs while also scoring 4616 runs at an average of 49.63 in Tests, which easily makes him one of the best batsmen in both the formats at the moment. The 28-year old has a total of 45 international hundreds to his name and is seen by many experts as the only candidate who can level if not break Sachin Tendulkar's incredible record of 100 international hundreds.
But former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes believes drawing comparisons between the two would be inappropriate and suggested that both the players are unique in their own way. "I am not a great believer in records and I don't like to compare players from different eras. They are wonderful players. Both are great in their own way. Tendulkar is Tendulkar and Virat (Kohli) is Virat," he told PTI.
"Tendulkar started at the age of 16 and played until the age of nearly 40, for almost 24 years and set several benchmarks. I don't know if Kohli can play for such a long time, given the demands of a modern-day cricketer. Virat has started his career very well. His prolific run scoring is incredible. He has made a lot of runs at a young age. Kohli must be just Kohli and should not be compared with Tendulkar," he added.
Rhodes has always been considered one of the greatest fielders the game has ever seen when asked about India's fielding he complimented Suresh Raina for his abilities in the field and also termed him to be the best Indian fielder.
"Yuvraj Singh and Mohammed Kaif were some of the better fielders around. Virat Kohli, he is ok. But Suresh Raina for me is the best fielder in India. He goes for the ball, regardless of whether he thinks he can get it or not. He reminds me a lot of a much younger Jonty Rhodes."
Further, while the whole world is talking about Test cricket being in jeopardy Rhodes believes it the 50-over format's future that is at stake.
 "In my opinion, it is not Test cricket, but 50-overs cricket that is in trouble. T20 has changed the way the game is played now and Test cricket has become more exciting."
The T20 format has revolutionarised the way in which the batsmen have started attacking the bowlers creating innovative shots and playing freely. And the 48-year old noted that and highlighted the difference in the game during his time and the modern era. "T20 has brought a change in the manner cricket is played these days. In Test cricket, they play with a lot of freedom now, there is no fear of failure," he said.
"When I was playing in the last century, batsmen used to struggle in the 90s. The nervous nineties they called it. There were several batsmen who got out in the 90s. Now, that is not the case. Sometimes, batsmen reach 100 from 94 with a single shot, a six. The players are very confident these days. I don't think Test cricket is in trouble. In reality, 50 over cricket is in trouble," Rhodes added.
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