Babar Azam is like Sachin Tendulkar not Virat Kohli: Mohammad Asif

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• Jan 10, 2022 | Deleted

Digital Desk: Former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Asif claims that Virat Kohli is not like Sachin Tendulkar and Babar Azam is more like him. Asif reasoned that Babar Azam, like Tendulkar, is a top-handed batsman, whereas Kohli, unlike Tendulkar, is a bottom-handed batsman.

The Kohli vs Tendulkar debate has raged among cricket experts for as long as anybody can remember. However, Mohammad Asif has decided to weigh in on the long-running controversy over who is the greater of the two batting legends. According to Asif, the Indian skipper has only been able to stay in the game due to his physical fitness. He also said Babar's bat action is as swift as Sachin.

"Kohli is a bottom-handed player. He is performing well due to his fitness, which is assisting him. However, I don't believe Kohli will be able to make a comeback. Babar, like Sachin, is a player who has the upper hand. His batting action is as swift as Sachin Tendulkar's. Many people believe Kohli is a better cricketer than Tendulkar. No, I say. Virat Kohli isn't even close to Sachin Tendulkar. This is my point of view." Asif stated on CoverDriveCricket YouTube channel.

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Asif had his clashes with Tendulkar, the most noteworthy of which occurred during India's 2006 visit to Pakistan. Tendulkar struggled against Asif in the Test series, but he played one of his most famous centuries in the third ODI in Lahore, scoring 95 runs after overcoming Asif's challenging questions in his 10-over stint.

According to Asif, Babar's bat flow is comparable to Sachin Tendulkar.

"Sachin's playing style was all about the upper hand, and just a few individuals know it. So it doesn't matter if it's the coaches or the players, Sachin's cover drives, on-drive pulls, and cuts were all flawless. Kohli has strokes, too, but they're all on the bottom hand." explained former fast bowler.

Notably, Virat Kohli has 70 international centuries across all formats, which is 30 fewer than Sachin Tendulkar's 100 international centuries. In one-day internationals, the 32-year-old has 43 hundred to Tendulkar's 49 and is only six centuries behind his former India partner. On the other hand, Kohli has 27 tons in Test cricket and has some catching up to do if he is to match Tendulkar's record of 51 hundred.