Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad has refused to compare the players of his generation with current Indian captain Virat Kohli. Miandad feels it doesn’t make sense to compare players from different eras as the laws, the pitches and the bowlers were different. It is well known that scoring runs in the previous era was a difficult task as compared to contemporary cricket.
The laws have changed drastically, which has made life easier for the batsman. In the current era, four fielders are allowed the 30-yard circle between overs 11-40 and thus the scores of over 320 have become a norm. Furthermore, two new balls are used in the ODI format, which has taken away the reverse swing factor.
Miandad, who was known to take the opposition back during his heydays, stated that you can not make another Sachin Tendular or Sunil Gavaskar as they were once in a generation players.
The former Pakistan right-hander was well known for his aggressive game. Miandad asserted that the game was tough during his halcyon days.
“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 a 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,” Miandad said while talking to the Telegraph
“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 acclimated defined your class.
On the other hand, Virat Kohli has performed in all the conditions and he has been consistent in all three forms of the game. In fact, Kohli is the solitary batsman who has an average of more than 50 in all the three forms of the game.
Kohli has maintained a high level of fitness, which has helped him in playing continuously at the International level. The schedule is hectic for the Indian team and Kohli has been able to give his 120% on the field because of his fitness. There is no doubt that he is the best all-format batsman of the current era.
Meanwhile, as Miandad mentions it doesn’t make sense to compare different players of different eras. A lot has changed in the last 15 years after the inception of T20 cricket and it is a different kind of game now.
However, no credit should be taken away from the modern-day batsmen. Yes, one can argue that the game is now titled in favour of the batsman but still one has to be consistent at the International level and Kohli has done that with great success.
