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Cricket PlayersWhy Virat Kohli thinks comparisons with Tendulkar make no sense: ‘For me, Sachin paaji will always be Sachin paaji’
Virat Kohli has reiterated his admiration for Sachin Tendulkar, saying the Master Blaster’s impact on cricket cannot be measured by numbers or comparisons.
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Virat Kohli has played down comparisons between himself and Sachin Tendulkar, reiterating that what the Master Blaster did for the game during his 24-year career will always remain special. Kohli has been compared to Tendulkar for over a decade, and with every passing record, the debate only grows stronger. Around 2017, Kohli first spoke about the comparisons, saying his skill level was no match for Tendulkar. Nine years later, his stance remains unchanged. Kohli may have overtaken Tendulkar for the most ODI centuries, but that has done little to diminish his admiration for the man who inspired a generation of cricketers.
“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 a guy who has established and achieved. You never really get to a position where you say that’s it. I’ve done it,” Kohli said.
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“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.”
Kohli on the public perception of him
Last evening, in the first ODI between India and West Indies, Kohli not only scored his 55th century in the format but also became the fastest to complete 15,000 ODI runs, reaching the landmark in 74 fewer innings than Tendulkar. It was Kohli’s 303rd innings for India, while Tendulkar got there in 377 innings.
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. At its core, I understand where I have come from. And you never really stop being the person that you are. I don’t see myself through the same lens as other people do.”
