Sachin Tendulkar most technical batsman, hardest to get out, opines Michael Clarke
Michael Clarke believes that Sachin Tendulkar is technically the best batsman cricket has ever seen and also the hardest to get out by his opponents. The former Australia captain also revealed that according to him Virat Kohli is the best batsman across all formats from the current generation.
Former Australian captain Michael Clarke opined that legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar was the hardest to get out since he was so technically perfect that it was hard for bowlers to find any weakness. Clarke, who led the Australian team to ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 victory at home, played with and against other legends like Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Brian Lara, Jacques Kallis but he believes that Sachin Tendulkar was hardest to face by his opponents.
When asked about one common thing between the Master Blaster and the current Indian captain Virat Kohli, Clarke said it’s their ability to produce big hundreds. Tendulkar amassed 51 centuries in Tests and 49 in ODIs before retiring in 2013. Meanwhile, Kohli with 43 ODI hundreds is next behind him the 50-over race. The Indian skipper has also hit 27 Test hundreds so far in his career.
"Probably technically the best batsman (Tendulkar) I ever saw. The hardest batsman to get out. I think Sachin, technically, didn't have a weakness. Part of you hoped that he made a mistake," Clarke told the 'Big sports Breakfast' radio show.
"What Kohli and Tendulkar have in common is they love making big hundreds," he added.
Clarke recently made a comment about Australian players under Tim Paine not sledging Kohli and co. enough to save their IPL contracts. However, the 39-year-old heaped praise on Kohli, attesting him as the best batsman across all the three formats, placing him above Steve Smith and Kane Williamson.
"I think right now the best batsman across all three formats [is Virat Kohli]. His one day and twenty-twenty records are phenomenal and he's also found a way to dominate Test cricket,” Clarke stated.