Cannot compare ‘admirable’ Virat Kohli to Steve Smith or Babar Azam, believes Javed Miandad
While praising Virat Kohli’s ability to learn from his mistakes, Javed Mianded has voiced his opinion that contemporary players cannot be compared to one another. The former Pakistan star also added that producing a Sunil Gavaskar or Sachin Tendulkar is extremely difficult due to their class.
The current generation of batsmen have been exceptional with at least one great batsman from every major country playing with a consistency that had not been seen often before. In Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Babar Azam, and Kane Williamson, world cricket has been blessed in recent years to witness some truly brilliant performances. However, while Miandad refused to compare the batsmen, he did reserve some special praise for the current Indian skipper.
“The nature of wickets and conditions has also changed. You can’t compare a Virat or a Steve Smith or Babar Azam… All are good but there’s still some difference in quality. The ones who deliver consistently and in different conditions go on to become greats,” Miandad said, reported the Telegraph.
“It’s the lasting impression that a player leaves that helps him stand out. That is why people still talk about Gavaskar or Tendulkar. If you make four centuries and then four ducks, people will remember the centuries. No one can score a hundred in every innings and you have to learn from mistakes. Virat, in that respect, has been admirable.”
Having played 124 Tests (avg 52.57) and 233 ODIs (avg 41.70) during his time in international cricket, Miandad is often considered as one of the finest batsmen to come out of Pakistan. Having witnessed cricket change over the last few decades, he explained the difference in the eras.
“Cricket was tough during my time. We had to face the likes of Malcolm Marshall, Richard Hadlee, Dennis Lillee, and Jeff Thomson. They bowled express pace and the wickets were more bouncier and faster. You had to adapt to different conditions and how quickly you acclimatised defined your class,” he explained.
While talking about how difficult it was to find a Sunil Gavaskar or a Sachin Tendulkar, Miandad replied, “If you are talking of the street fighter attitude, then I don’t think you can compare anyone from my era with the present generation. You cannot make another Sunny Gavaskar or Sachin Tendulkar. You can idolise someone but that won’t change an individual’s class or quality. You can’t compare players from different generations.”
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