Virat Kohli is no Sachin Tendulkar, says this Pakistan cricket great

Players like Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara are irreplaceable, according to former Pakistan player Waqar Younis

Pakistan’s pace great Waqar Younis feels there can be replacement for players like Virat Kohli, but legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara are one of a kind.

Virat Kohli has often been compared to Sachin Tendulkar but the latter is irreplaceable, according to former Pakistan cricket great Waqar Younis.(BCCI)

In response to the massive void left in Pakistan team by the recent retirements of stalwarts Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan, the 45-year-old former Pakistan coach told PakPassion website: “You don’t easily replace players who have scored 10,000 runs in Test cricket. It’s going to take some serious professionalism to match that. Pakistan has some talent in the country and we need the likes of Babar Azam to step up and take responsibility, show the world how good he is. In addition, Pakistan needs Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq to now become the leaders of the batting group.”

Read | Players, including Virat Kohli, will feel pressure in India-Pak match: Waqar Younis

Waqar said there is always a replacement for most players, giving examples of Wasim Akram and himself.

“There is always someone around the corner in Pakistan cricket to fill the gap of a leaving player. When Wasim Akram and I left, Shoaib Akhtar was around, and so was Umar Gul, so the replacements are there. But having said that, for some players like SachinTendulkar and Brian Lara, there are no replacements. You can get a replacement for Virat Kohli, but Tendulkar will never be replaced,” said Waqar.