Virat Kohli, an ace India batter, has talked about his comparisons with India legend Sachin Tendulkar and stated that for him Sachin Paaji will remain Sachin Paaji. He also discussed his comparison with legendary captain MS Dhoni and said Dhoni will always remain his first captain.
Around 2017, Kohli first spoke about the comparisons, saying his skill level was no match for Tendulkar. His position hasn't altered in nine years. Even though Kohli now has more ODI hundreds than Tendulkar, his respect for the man who inspired a generation of cricketers hasn't diminished.
“For me, Sachin paaji is always going to be Sachin paaji. MS Dhoni is always going to be MS Dhoni in terms of being my first captain. These things cannot change inside me. I have never looked at myself as somebody who has established and achieved. You never really reach a position where you say that’s it. I’ve done it,” Kohli said on JioStar.
“You can be content, but if you put your head down and you are humble enough to perform and prepare and just do the right things in sport, from an ego perspective, you can never get to a position saying ‘I’m better than everyone else’. Because that’s the end. He revolutionised the game in his time. And that for me is way beyond numbers and comparisons. The impact he left on people will never be forgotten,” he added.
In the recent first ODI between India and West Indies, Virat Kohli made 139*, his 55th ODI century, and also passed the 15,000-run mark in ODIs, becoming only the second batter to achieve this feat, after Sachin Tendulkar. It was Kohli’s 303rd innings for India, while Tendulkar got there in 377 innings.
Kohli also equalled Tendulkar’s record for the most centuries in List A cricket, with 60 tons each.
Kohli weighed in on the public’s perception of him, saying that while he appreciates all the love, he doesn’t see himself the same way.
“It’s very similar to when someone who really loves the game admires me and what I’ve done playing for the country. When they come in, they meet me in a certain way. I’m not able to understand their perspective. For me, I am not the person that they have made me to be, because they know me from a distance. They know my performances and me playing cricket. I have a clear understanding of my origins. And you never really stop being the person that you are. I don’t see myself through the same lens as other people do,” Kohli concluded.
Tendulkar, Dhoni and Kohli were all part of the Indian squad that won the ICC World Cup in 2011.
