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[VIDEO] "Even in the latter part of his career, Shoaib Akhtar looked lethal" : Virat Kohli

Quotes from above interview

"I never faced Shoaib Akhtar as I had got out before that, but I have seen him bowl in a game against India in Dambulla"

"Even in the latter part of his career, he looked lethal"

"After watching him bowl in that game, I said to myself that when he was at his peak, then it would be better to be on the other (non-striker's) end when he was bowling"

"With M Irfan, Sanjay Bangar our batting coach was using a stool which was about one foot high to simulate bowling from this guy"

"In a T20I game in Bangalore when batting against Irfan, Yuvraj told me that the ball is bouncing, try to cut the ball, but couldnt do it, then he told me OK, leave it then!"
 
High praise for Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Irfan... before he praised Mohammad Amir

Virat has a big fascination with Pakistani fast bowlers..

Is it coz he sees them so rarely?

I think indirectly through his interviews he is indicating to BCCI that he wants to play Pakistan more often.
 
I don't mean that the way Najam Sethi says that we want to play India, its just that Virat is just too smart and media-savvy to say anything like that about our fast bowlers (I mean come on Mohammad Irfan). Virat knows exactly what he says in his press conferences, he never says anything without a reason. He can say alot of things indirectly without having to say them directly.
 
I don't mean that the way Najam Sethi says that we want to play India, its just that Virat is just too smart and media-savvy to say anything like that about our fast bowlers (I mean come on Mohammad Irfan). Virat knows exactly what he says in his press conferences, he never says anything without a reason. He can say alot of things indirectly without having to say them directly.

It's difficult to understand what he's saying when you don't have much knowledge of the game. Like in all sports, casuals have trouble understanding past the statistics.
 
"Hardik Pandya has an ipod. He has only English songs. He doesn't know even 5 words from any song"
"Hardik Pandya is a 'lost soul'.He doesn't have control over what he says,One time He came to me & said " Yaar wo 'Ravikashyap Ashvin' kya Bowling dalta hai""
😂😂Lost it there.
Such a great interview,You can see the typical Delhi guy in him & feel like you know him.
Now I'm really stoked for a MSD interview since he doesn't make much media appearances.
 
"Hardik Pandya has an ipod. He has only English songs. He doesn't know even 5 words from any song"
"Hardik Pandya is a 'lost soul'.He doesn't have control over what he says,One time He came to me & said " Yaar wo 'Ravikashyap Ashvin' kya Bowling dalta hai""
����Lost it there.
Such a great interview,You can see the typical Delhi guy in him & feel like you know him.
Now I'm really stoked for a MSD interview since he doesn't make much media appearances.

Punjabiya di balle balle. ....how you define a delhi guy ? delhi has alot of cultures. ...
 
Virat Kohli will bypass SRT in terms of popularity - that is no statement on what type of player SRT was but more a testament to how well VK is able to handle and project himself to the media/public
 
Punjabiya di balle balle. ....how you define a delhi guy ? delhi has alot of cultures. ...
Virat is a typical delhi guy.. the way he swears and reacts in situatio is typical of delhi. Delhites are always on your face attitude with no fear as straight forward as you can get around the world.
 
Virat is a typical delhi guy.. the way he swears and reacts in situatio is typical of delhi. Delhites are always on your face attitude with no fear as straight forward as you can get around the world.

Na i wud say virat is typical punjabi guy....Delhites includes people migrated from various parts . There is alot of ethenticity mixtures in delhi. So you cant define a typical delhite now days.
 
Guys - if you need to discuss regional stuff - stick to TimePass - just cricket here.
 
He really has a big fascination with Pakistani pace attack
first M amir
now akhtar n Irfan

but i wonder y he is silent on the bowler against whom he struggled the most
i am talking about junaid
not even a single word about him uptil now
 
Nice interview. He's the most Pakistani cricketer in Indian team's history :jm

A bit cringy for me tho, watched forwarding in pieces.

Also, VK has dyed his hair and beard :yk
 
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Virat Kohli will bypass SRT in terms of popularity - that is no statement on what type of player SRT was but more a testament to how well VK is able to handle and project himself to the media/public

Not being disrespectful towards you at all, but trust me, it can never happen even if he ends up averaging more than Bradman and scores 200 international centuries. That spot has already been taken by Sachin. Indian fans will allude with what I'm saying.
 
Not being disrespectful towards you at all, but trust me, it can never happen even if he ends up averaging more than Bradman and scores 200 international centuries. That spot has already been taken by Sachin. Indian fans will allude with what I'm saying.

SRT will always be referred as The Great One by fans but the popularity = Virat K.
 
SRT will always be referred as The Great One by fans but the popularity = Virat K.

Not really, any Indian fan will realize what I'm saying. Kohli is immensely popular, but no cricketer can come even close to Sachin in terms of popularity and love from Indian fans.
 
Not really, any Indian fan will realize what I'm saying. Kohli is immensely popular, but no cricketer can come even close to Sachin in terms of popularity and love from Indian fans.

You are talking about now. Think 10 years ahead if VK keeps on doing what he is doing now.

And also you dont need to refer to Indian fans in every other post! I am sure they will express themselves in this thread soon
 
You are talking about now. Think 10 years ahead if VK keeps on doing what he is doing now.

And also you dont need to refer to Indian fans in every other post! I am sure they will express themselves in this thread soon

Sorry if I offended you, but I have lived all my life in India and I know what Sachin meant to the people here and still does. No other celebrity, let alone a cricketer, has enjoyed such an emotional bond with his fans.
 
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Sorry if I offended you, but I have lived all my life in India and I know what Sachin meant to the people here and still does. No other celebrity, let alone a cricketer, has enjoyed such an emotional bond with his fans.

I agree, Sachin was just not centuries and statistics, he was the HOPE for a nation, nowadays there are many people excelling not only in cricket but also other sports in India.
 
Sorry if I offended you, but I have lived all my life in India and I know what Sachin meant to the people here and still does. No other celebrity, let alone a cricketer, has enjoyed such an emotional bond with his fans.

No offence taken at all.
 
sachin is beyond stats .
he was only source of entertainment for me in 90's.
 
I agree, Sachin was just not centuries and statistics, he was the HOPE for a nation, nowadays there are many people excelling not only in cricket but also other sports in India.

So true.Sachin was our only silver lining in sports in 90s.I have many friends who stopped watching cricket after he retired.Virat is not even half the batsman Sachin was and not even have 10% of his popularity.Also now we have worldclass sportsmen in other sports too.
 
Nice interview. He's the most Pakistani cricketer in Indian team's history :jm

A bit cringy for me tho, watched forwarding in pieces.

Also, VK has dyed his hair and beard :yk
Most Pakistani cricketer in Indian team would be Virender Sehwag rather than Kohli. Super agressive but often knew one way to play,not much about technique, would demolish anyone on his day but then would look like an absolute hack on his bad days and was a lazy runner and fielder.
Virat is more Australian in his approach especially in fitness, fielding and in-your-face attitude pursuing a win at any cost.
 
Virat is not even half the batsman Sachin was and not even have 10% of his popularity.

Now this is just embarrassing hyperbole and is the kind of saccharine hero worship that utterly encapsulates why most Pakistanis prefer the likes of Kohli and Dhoni to Tendulkar.
 
Virat doing his best to spread some love in the world amidst all the hate.
 
Two reasons people prefer sachin over kohli-
1 -sachin was the only sportsman we had in 90 's when bcci was poor and no other batsman or sportsman was there to even give him run for a money.but now we have alot of good players.
2- people like sachin because he has always been humble and softy what most indians are like of. virat is opposite.
 
Now this is just embarrassing hyperbole and is the kind of saccharine hero worship that utterly encapsulates why most Pakistanis prefer the likes of Kohli and Dhoni to Tendulkar.

Kohli at his peak of his career still struggles against moving ball and Sachin has murdered ATGs in both pace and spin at his peak.I dont think Kohli is capable of playing that innings Sachin played against a marauding Dale Steyn in 2011 at the fag end of his career.So as a batsman, he is nowhere near Sachin.

However, I will still keep Kohli in both my ODI and Test team even before Sachin as he is mentally much stronger and aggressive and has the Australian trait to go for win at any cost which Sachin never had.
And regarding popularity, I am from India and I know better than you for obvious reasons.
 
Now this is just embarrassing hyperbole and is the kind of saccharine hero worship that utterly encapsulates why most Pakistanis prefer the likes of Kohli and Dhoni to Tendulkar.

Nothing hyperbolic about it. Virat is nowhere near as good a pure batsman as Sachin was. You need to really understand the art and science of batting to see that though. The Fan hype machine goes OTT for both of them though. And in Sachin's case, the recency bias works against him, because the last 5-7 years of his career, which is fresh in most people's minds, he was not as he good as he was in his 1st 10-12 years.
 
Now this is just embarrassing hyperbole and is the kind of saccharine hero worship that utterly encapsulates why most Pakistanis prefer the likes of Kohli and Dhoni to Tendulkar.
And Bhaijan, you dont have much to talk about hero worship also.You guys adore somebody like Afridi who has lost you more matches than he had won and have never done justice to his talent.
 
Kohli at his peak of his career still struggles against moving ball and Sachin has murdered ATGs in both pace and spin at his peak.I dont think Kohli is capable of playing that innings Sachin played against a marauding Dale Steyn in 2011 at the fag end of his career.So as a batsman, he is nowhere near Sachin.

However, I will still keep Kohli in both my ODI and Test team even before Sachin as he is mentally much stronger and aggressive and has the Australian trait to go for win at any cost which Sachin never had.
And regarding popularity, I am from India and I know better than you for obvious reasons.

which inning? The one where he was out to steyn earlier in the inning and was saved by the absence of DRS? I think Virat's 119 in Johannesburg trumps that by a good distance.
 
which inning? The one where he was out to steyn earlier in the inning and was saved by the absence of DRS? I think Virat's 119 in Johannesburg trumps that by a good distance.

That ball in question bounced before it went to Boucher's gloves. Hence not-out.
 
Wow he's very down to earth. It felt like I was just having a chat with a mate over a cup of tea, he seems very relaxed and easy to talk to without any ego. Enjoyed that interview. Thanks for sharing.

I don't mean that the way Najam Sethi says that we want to play India, its just that Virat is just too smart and media-savvy to say anything like that about our fast bowlers (I mean come on Mohammad Irfan). Virat knows exactly what he says in his press conferences, he never says anything without a reason. He can say alot of things indirectly without having to say them directly.

Why do SC fans have to nitpick every little thing ? Not every comment from a cricketer has an ulterior motive or hidden conspiracy behind it.

Obviously when you face a bowler like Irfan, the preparations are going to be unusual given he's 7 frickin' foot.
 
which inning? The one where he was out to steyn earlier in the inning and was saved by the absence of DRS? I think Virat's 119 in Johannesburg trumps that by a good distance.
Have you even seen that match? Steyn was bowling like a dream and it was contest to watch praised by all the cricketing world.And he did that at an age of 38 when his reflexes on the downhill. Kohli at his peak is a bunny against moving ball and looked like a tail ender against Anderson last time we toured England.
 
Ultimately it's a matter of what format you find most relevant.

Virat is a good guy and very articulate. Superb ODI bat. Better than SRT in ODIs.

But comparisons have to happen across all 3 formats. And when you get Tests, Virat loses out.

In terms of popularity, I have had the privilege of observing (as a cricket watcher, no more) SRT and Kohli from the beginning. I saw the hype, I saw how both filled a nation's consciousness.

SRT was revered and loved. Kohli is admired.

No comparison- so far.

I will add more in the next post which will contradict what I am saying here, somewhat.
 
Ultimately memory is fickle. We mix "memory and desire" as Eliot said.

Fact is, Borde, Mankad, Pataudi, Solkar, Engineer, Amarnath were hailed and revered. How many in the public remember them, outside of fans?

I saw Sunny Gavaskar hailed and revered. In 10 years, or 5 minutes after he quits commentating, he'll be a memory.

Given how public consciousness flows, perhaps in 10 years, when Kohli retired, they may be saying he's greater than SRT. Who knows?
 
Wow he's very down to earth. It felt like I was just having a chat with a mate over a cup of tea, he seems very relaxed and easy to talk to without any ego. Enjoyed that interview. Thanks for sharing.



Why do SC fans have to nitpick every little thing ? Not every comment from a cricketer has an ulterior motive or hidden conspiracy behind it.

Obviously when you face a bowler like Irfan, the preparations are going to be unusual given he's 7 frickin' foot.

Like I said don't draw conclusions like I am Najam Sethi desperate for a series against India, I'm just saying that he has been pretty vocal about Pakistani fast bowlers for quite a while now. What could be the reasons for it? Mohammad Irfan was someone he handled really well in 2015 WC, but to say his name is a little off, I can understand Amir or Shoaib Akhtar
 
Kohli's interview reminds me that great minds keep it simple, make it look effortless. All the great names in sports are super humble people, which is pretty much an act (its a good act great for PR and stuff) as deep down everyone is super competitive.

Dravid once told in an interview Kohli is the most competitive guy in the business, he can work hours and hours on just one little technique or mistake in his batting. He is the most dedicated of anyone else I have seen.

Without a doubt Kohli has Sachin's landmark in his mind, he will never stop until that.
 
The day Kohli tackles Anderson in England in those English condition and doesn't look like a clueless school kid on or just outside offstump in every innings, he will become the ultimate ATG without a doubt. Apart from those English conditions i believe he has answered all other questions, maybe the big final games but i am sure he will correct it in due course.
 
Have you even seen that match? Steyn was bowling like a dream and it was contest to watch praised by all the cricketing world.And he did that at an age of 38 when his reflexes on the downhill. Kohli at his peak is a bunny against moving ball and looked like a tail ender against Anderson last time we toured England.

Kohli's peak was 2014? at 25? whaaaaaat? Also we all know how Sachin fared against Anderson in the 3 tours against him.
And yes I did see the match, Steyn was bowling well and should have had Sachin at the start of the day. It was a really good knock tbh. But I hate it when batsmen go on to score big and they were out earlier on.

Too early for the Virat vs. Sachin debate for me, and Virat I'm sure will eventually match and outdo Sachin in tests. Sachin didn't play many impactful innnings like Lara or a Dravid did. Virat now is starting to go big when he scores a 100+ which is a good habit to have.
 
Can't we just takes Virat's word and let it be, when he says that a comparison between him and Sachin isn't possible? At least for the moment?
 
Sorry if I offended you, but I have lived all my life in India and I know what Sachin meant to the people here and still does. No other celebrity, let alone a cricketer, has enjoyed such an emotional bond with his fans.

We PK's feel the same with Akmal brothers.
 
Kohli's peak was 2014? at 25? whaaaaaat? Also we all know how Sachin fared against Anderson in the 3 tours against him.
And yes I did see the match, Steyn was bowling well and should have had Sachin at the start of the day. It was a really good knock tbh. But I hate it when batsmen go on to score big and they were out earlier on.

Too early for the Virat vs. Sachin debate for me, and Virat I'm sure will eventually match and outdo Sachin in tests. Sachin didn't play many impactful innnings like Lara or a Dravid did. Virat now is starting to go big when he scores a 100+ which is a good habit to have.

No. Mark Boucher didn't collect the ball cleanly.
 
Sorry if I offended you, but I have lived all my life in India and I know what Sachin meant to the people here and still does. No other celebrity, let alone a cricketer, has enjoyed such an emotional bond with his fans.

So true, often sachin getting his hundred has been more important then India winning the game that's how special the bond has been between sachin and his fans and what he stands for in India
 
So true, often sachin getting his hundred has been more important then India winning the game that's how special the bond has been between sachin and his fans and what he stands for in India

I don't think it's any of the non Indian's business what Sachin means to Indians. We Indians are free to like and dislike whoever we want.
 
Kohli's peak was 2014? at 25? whaaaaaat? Also we all know how Sachin fared against Anderson in the 3 tours against him.
And yes I did see the match, Steyn was bowling well and should have had Sachin at the start of the day. It was a really good knock tbh. But I hate it when batsmen go on to score big and they were out earlier on.

Too early for the Virat vs. Sachin debate for me, and Virat I'm sure will eventually match and outdo Sachin in tests. Sachin didn't play many impactful innnings like Lara or a Dravid did. Virat now is starting to go big when he scores a 100+ which is a good habit to have.

Check how Sachin had batted against ATG pace bowlers when he was 25. He had scored a sublime 169 when he was 24 in South Africa against the likes of DOnald and Pollock.And tell me one good innings of Kohli against moving ball. Amir just made him look like hack on a patta where 334 runs were scored. And I am not even going to compare how both of them play quality spin.
 
Always enjoyed watching the "Pindi Express", some genuine pace. The bloke worked hard and pushed his bidy but got treated shabbily by the PCB towards the end of his career. It was a shame that the board couldn't (or didn't) even give him a genuine farewell even after being promised, some Pak team internal politics at play too.
 
Virat is going to be an ATG player but he can't gain that adulation that SRT had because of several factors.

1) There are too many matchwinners in the Indian team now. But during 90's and early 2000's we had our faith on only 1 person. Facing Wasim, waqar, Shoaib, Mcgrath, Warne, young steyn and mitchel Johnson was not an easy task then compared to the current bowler's (including Pakistan's) which Virat has faced now.

2)Virat have good players in the team now who are capable of power hitting and winning the match. Compare it with that of Sachin's era, apart from Sehwag who is either hit or miss, there was nobody whom we could bang on. Once Yuvi, kaif and MSD came this trend begin to start.

3)Sachin's humble behaviour made him loved by every Indian irrespective of their age. Instead, Virat have that Australian trait of aggression- Ricky Ponting'ish attitude. Younger lot admire that a lot but his swearing and abusing are not taken well by the older generation.

4)He is still short tempered when the going gets tough and if the team starts on a losing streak tomorrow, i don't think his onfield antics will be well received by the other superstars in the team.

For me Sachin> Dhoni>Virat.
 
SRT will always be referred as The Great One by fans but the popularity = Virat K.



Nah SRT was bigger than the game you can't compare anyone with Sachin even in terms of popularity Kohli can never reach Sachin.. Only way a person will surpass Sachin's popularity is 50-60 years from now when the generation who watched Sachin dies and the new generation do not have that emotional connect with Sachin so they will popularise a player who might be better than Sachin..

Till next 40-50 years Sachin will always be number 1..
 
So true, often sachin getting his hundred has been more important then India winning the game that's how special the bond has been between sachin and his fans and what he stands for in India



The time Sachin played we didn't have much hope of winning anyways in most matches so people were happy if atleast Sachin gets a 100.. Things changed once we found Ganguly, Dravid, Sehwag etc..
 
Ultimately memory is fickle. We mix "memory and desire" as Eliot said.

Fact is, Borde, Mankad, Pataudi, Solkar, Engineer, Amarnath were hailed and revered. How many in the public remember them, outside of fans?

I saw Sunny Gavaskar hailed and revered. In 10 years, or 5 minutes after he quits commentating, he'll be a memory.

Given how public consciousness flows, perhaps in 10 years, when Kohli retired, they may be saying he's greater than SRT. Who knows?


None of them not even Gavaskar was anywhere near Sachin popularity.. Sachins popularity will only be overtaken 40-50 years from now when the people who watched him play live and have emotional connect with hin(if you are not Indian you won't understand) are all dead..

Till that time you can't surpass Sachin it's as simple as that no need to complicate it..
 
Not every day you face a bowler who can swing at 95+ miles an hour every ball so ofcourse Kohli would be a bit apprehensive playing Shoaib any batsmen would be initially playing such a bowler.. Same goes for Irfan once you get used to playing such a bowler then it's a different story.. Shoaib was a beast no doubt pity he didn't start playing earlier at his peak..
 
Not every day you face a bowler who can swing at 95+ miles an hour every ball so ofcourse Kohli would be a bit apprehensive playing Shoaib any batsmen would be initially playing such a bowler.. Same goes for Irfan once you get used to playing such a bowler then it's a different story.. Shoaib was a beast no doubt pity he didn't start playing earlier at his peak..

There are more lethal bowlers in Australia that he has played
 
There are more lethal bowlers in Australia that he has played

At his best Shoaib was scarier than anyone from Australia.. He had enormous swing and pace no one can match both of that.. Also when Kohli played Shoaib before that he probably didn't face starc or Johnson in international games..
 
its amazing to hear him talk about his rough patch in England - and how he learned from it

compare it to guys like Shehzad and Akmal, who are more interested in blaming everyone else for their failures rather than trying to learn from it
 
Quotes from above interview

"I never faced Shoaib Akhtar as I had got out before that, but I have seen him bowl in a game against India in Dambulla"

"Even in the latter part of his career, he looked lethal"

"After watching him bowl in that game, I said to myself that when he was at his peak, then it would be better to be on the other (non-striker's) end when he was bowling"

"With M Irfan, Sanjay Bangar our batting coach was using a stool which was about one foot high to simulate bowling from this guy"

"In a T20I game in Bangalore when batting against Irfan, Yuvraj told me that the ball is bouncing, try to cut the ball, but couldnt do it, then he told me OK, leave it then!"

In case anyone is wondering - the game Kohli is referring to having watched Akhtar bowl is the 2010 Asia Cup game that Harbhajan won by hitting Amir for a 6!

I believed Kohli was dismissed earlier by Ajmal in that game but please correct me if I am wrong :)
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-cards="hidden" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I was better off not bowling at all when <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kohli?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Kohli</a> was batting.Jokes apart,he's a gr8 batsman & bowling agnst him wud have been a gr8 contest. <a href="https://t.co/EHL32UpXrU">pic.twitter.com/EHL32UpXrU</a></p>— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) <a href="https://twitter.com/shoaib100mph/status/926776586283732992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 4, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
its amazing to hear him talk about his rough patch in England - and how he learned from it

compare it to guys like Shehzad and Akmal, who are more interested in blaming everyone else for their failures rather than trying to learn from it

Well that is just one part of the story. Kohli's Indian GF seemed to have been a major factor in giving him confidence and molding him. While our Shehzad and Akmal are married but that doesn't seem to have any positive effect on them.

To think about it Malik sahab also improved his attitude towards the game by marrying an Indian.

Hmmm this has me thinking now.
 
To be fair Kohli has no problems facing pace. He looked slightly iffy against short ball early in his career but that doesn't cause him any problems now.

The only issue with Kohli is movement - especially decent away movement he can't help himself but to play shots so becomes vulnerable behind his wicket.

I also think it's fair to say Sachin had better footwork when comparing the two and looked more classy in shots but Kohli is. mentally stronger, especially chasing big scores.
 
Well that is just one part of the story. Kohli's Indian GF seemed to have been a major factor in giving him confidence and molding him. While our Shehzad and Akmal are married but that doesn't seem to have any positive effect on them.

To think about it Malik sahab also improved his attitude towards the game by marrying an Indian.

Hmmm this has me thinking now.

sure, significant others can have a big impact on you

but ultimately real change comes from within, not everyone is capable of it
 
To be fair Kohli has no problems facing pace. He looked slightly iffy against short ball early in his career but that doesn't cause him any problems now.

The only issue with Kohli is movement - especially decent away movement he can't help himself but to play shots so becomes vulnerable behind his wicket.

I also think it's fair to say Sachin had better footwork when comparing the two and looked more classy in shots but Kohli is. mentally stronger, especially chasing big scores.

Chasing big scores? We crushed them 4 months ago, stop it.
 
The best interview I have ever seen by a cricketer EVER!!! Amazing sense of humour.

The way he showed his respect to Sachin. None could say it better. I have always been Kohlis fan but this interview took it to another level.
 
The best interview I have ever seen by a cricketer EVER!!! Amazing sense of humour.

The way he showed his respect to Sachin. None could say it better. I have always been Kohlis fan but this interview took it to another level.

That part about eating cakes and then advertising was hilarious actually :))
 
The best interview I have ever seen by a cricketer EVER!!! Amazing sense of humour.

The way he showed his respect to Sachin. None could say it better. I have always been Kohlis fan but this interview took it to another level.

He has said multiple times that SRT is his batting idol.
 
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Amidst all the fun ...he is also the guy who has not eaten butter chicken in 4 years. And does 4 hours of gym in the off season.
 
We will never accept or understand the fact that Tendulkar was not a clutch player with that X factor in him like Yuvi, Sehwag and even Kohli. Obsession with individual records and traditional cricket instead of performance based cricket was missing in the 90s completely
 
Seems like there is a real change in attitude, for better, with Kohli nowadays !!!!!!!!!!!
 
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