Srinagar: Senior India Cricketer and Test Specialist Chestehwar Pujara has termed former Pakistan batter Younis Khan as better player of spin than himself.
In a video segment shared on Instagram, the 103-Test veteran was asked to name batters he considered superior to him against spin bowling.
As various prominent names were presented to him — including Mushfiqur Rahim, David Warner, Dean Elgar, Ross Taylor, Jonny Bairstow, Rohit Sharma, and AB de Villiers — Pujara remained non-committal.
He gave a cautious “maybe” when asked about Joe Root, but didn’t fully endorse the England star as a better player of spin.
When Virat Kohli’s name came up, the right-handed acknowledged his teammate’s strength against spin.
“I would say at par. In terms of stats, his numbers suggest that he’s a good player of spin,” he said.
Speaking about Steve Smith and Kane Williamson, Pujara praised their performances — particularly against India — but suggested that comparisons in the context of spin play are difficult.
“They have scored runs against India and their numbers are good, but I don’t know, it’s very hard to compare myself when it comes to spin, but they are quality players,” said Pujara.
However, when the name of Younis Khan was mentioned, the 37-year-old didn’t hesitate.
“Younis Khan — I would have to say that he’s better than me,” he admitted.