Srinagar: Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar has said that Virat Kohli just want to play and doesnt want power or leadership.
Manjrekar was speaking on comparison between legend Sachin Tendulkar and superstar Virat Kohli.
Kohli by smashing 47th ODI ton in Asia Cup Super 4 match against Pakistan took another giant step towards breaking Tendulkar’s all-time record of ODI centuries. He just needs three more centuries to beat Tendulkar, who has 49, and become the first cricketer to hit 50 ODI centuries.
“The one similarity between Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar is that both of them enjoy playing cricket. They want to be on the field. He was not part of the team for the game against Bangladesh but was still on the field. I don’t think Virat Kohli wants power or leadership,” Sanjay Manjrekar said in an interview with journalist Vimal Kumar.
“He just wants to play and it looks like he enjoys being a part of the team. He captained the team for a very long time, so there is no scope for an unfulfilled dream. Being with the team, travelling with players, going to the ground, and being part of winning moments are more important to him than having power,” Manjrekar said.
The former India batter, however, said it would be difficult for Kohli to get past Tendulkar in Test cricket. Kohli currently has 29 Test centuries while Tendulkar is at the top of the list with 51.
“Sachin Tendulkar has 51 hundreds, 17 more than what Sunil Gavaskar finished with. For a good player, accumulating runs in ODIs is comparatively easy, as bowlers don’t always try to take a wicket. Tendulkar and Kohli are special because they also have a lot of Test hundreds. However, I believe it will be very difficult for Kohli to reach 51 Test centuries.”
