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'I thought Tendulkar was a genius but this guy is right up there': Gough's humongous praise for star India batter
Former England fast bowler Darren Gough has revealed that when he first saw the star India batter, he felt he was as good as the great Sachin Tendulkar.
The great Sachin Tendulkar is arguably the most complete batter in the history of Indian cricket. His longevity, records, and being at the peak of at least 20 out of the 24 years he played cricket for India are things that is difficult to match. Over the years, only one player has been compared to Tendulkar and that is Virat Kohli, given how the former India captain was breaking one record after another and was closing in on Sachin's tally of 49 ODI centuries. But ever since the former India captain hit a slump in form, which is showing no signs of ending, those comparisons have died down.
Former England fast bowler Darren Gough, who claims to be a huge Kohli fan, has revealed that when he first saw the star India batter in England, he thought Virat was going to be on the same path to greatness as Tendulkar. Kohli's first tour to England as a Team India batter was in 2011, where he played the ODIs and scored a century in Cardiff to go with a knock of 55 in Durham, and Gough knew right then and there that here was a player who could be the next Tendulkar of Indian cricket, making him almost the first to draw comparisons between the two legendary batters.
"When I first saw him playing in England, I thought, WOW… I thought Tendulkar was good. He was brilliant, a genius in fact, but this guy Virat Kohli is right up there with him. Amazing player, such style, aggression… everything I wanted to look for in a cricketer. He can take on the short ball, good against spin. He has got that arrogance, puts the cap on as well now and again," Gough told Cricket.com.
A veteran of 58 Tests and 159 ODIs, Gough weighed in on Kohli's strong of low scores, saying that the former India captain is currently going through the same phase which once Joe Root found himself it. Having said that, Gough says he cannot wait to see Kohli return to form and made a rather bold prediction about him.
"I want him to get back scoring hundreds. We have seen Joe Root used to go through that spell – a lot of 70s, 80s and 90s. But I feel that with Virat, once he gets one, he would just keep going – hundred, hundred, hundred. And that’s what Joe Root has done. Virat is going though that spell and he just needs to score that first one and then he is going to cash in for the next 3-4 years," added Gough.
