Virat Kohli ‘lucky’ to have BCCI's backing, opines Abdul Razzaq
Former Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq believes that Virat Kohli is lucky to have the full support and backing of the BCCI, the country’s administrative board. Razzaq further believes that Pakistan has players as talented as Kohli, but are being betrayed and neglected by the country’s own system.
The comparisons between Pakistan and Indian players, over the course of the years, have been never-ending. From Umar Akmal to Ahmed Shehzad to more recently Babar Azam, generational talents in Pakistani cricket have often been compared to the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. However, more often than not, most of these players have gradually faltered with time and, in a way, have failed to do justice to their talent.
Former Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, however, has an interesting interpretation of why it happens. Razzaq believes that it’s Pakistan’s board and its system, which fails to provide able support for the players, that is responsible for the cricketers’ downfall. The all-rounder feels that the country has players that can become better than Kohli, but unlike the Indian, don’t have the backing from the board to rise to the very top.
“He is a fantastic player and there is no doubt about it. However, he is lucky as the BCCI supports him well and instils the confidence in him that any player needs to succeed. The respect he gets from his board is what probably inspires him to do well all the time and the results are there for all to see,” Razzaq told PakPassion, reported Times Now.
“I do believe that even in Pakistan we have players who could become better than Virat Kohli, but they are neglected by our system which is a tragedy. In Kohli’s case, he has taken that confidence shown in him by the board and using his talent, repaid them with his performances,” he added.
Razzaq, who was one of the most successfull all-rounders of his generation, had stated six months ago that he can transform Hardik Pandya into the ‘best all-rounder in the world’, a comment that was laughed off by many. However, the 40-year-old clarified that those comments were made in genuinely good faith, but admitted that given the ongoing political tension between the two sides, it would not be possible for him to work with the all-rounder.
“Look, the statement I made was made in good faith. From what I saw of Hardik Pandya, I felt that he could improve further as a player and I could help him with that and I spoke purely from a cricketing point of view. It’s not as if I am desperate to help him out for any other reason. We know when it comes to the current state of India and Pakistan relations, this would not be possible in the first place.”