England vs India 2018: Only Virat Kohli can Match Sachin Tendulkar's Standard - Saqlain Mushtaq

Pakistan legendary off-spinner, Saqlain Mushtaq said among the current cricketers, only team India skipper Virat Kohli can come close to matching the standards of Sachin Tendulkar.

In Saqlain’s eyes, comparing eras makes no sense. However, if anyone of the modern-generation can come close to Tendulkar, he is none other than Kohli.

“As a batsman, Sachin was a very big player. I cannot compare (two eras) but today Virat is the only one who comes close,” Saqlain was quoted as saying by PTI.

England’s spin consultant Saqlain said team India’s turnaround would depend on how Virat Kohli plays in the next two Tests.

Saqlain Mushtaq hails Virat Kohli 

“We were talking amongst the English support staff about how he played at Trent Bridge. In this third Test alone, Jimmy Anderson beat his outside edge 40 times, and yet he played the next ball with so much confidence. Virat plays ball by ball, run by run and session by session. He has a tremendous hunger for runs and victory. When you have someone hungry like that, he can do anything to satisfy his hunger.”

Kohli led the way for India with a brilliant 97 and a century in the 3^rd Test in Nottingham which laid the foundation for a sensational Test match victory for the visitors. It was a great achievement especially given the fact that India came into the Test being 0-2 down in the five-match series.

“The way Virat is scoring runs, it is ominous for England. During the first Test, I saw a signboard that said it is ‘England versus Virat Kohli’. If you take him out of the equation, it will be very easy for England. If you see from a coaching point of view, it is because of him the others have scored runs whilst batting with him. Having a world class batsman like Virat in your team certainly boosts the entire batting line-up,” he added.

The former off-spinner was very impressed with the current crop of fast bowlers India is producing. All the fast bowlers in the Indian playing XI bowled quicker than the fast bowlers of England.

The pacers from India was quicker than their English counterparts

“If you look at the statistics from the first three Tests, India’s pacers have bowled quicker than English pacers. When did that last happen? The way they walk, and present themselves, the way they bowl fast and move the ball, you look at the Indian pacers and think that they are proper fast bowlers.

“They have a lot of physical strength, and it shows in their walking and running. It signals that they have put in the proper hard work to become fast bowlers at this level and they appear professional in every sense of the word.”

Saqlain also spoke on the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin who has a sensational record as a Test bowler. He proved his worth outside subcontinental conditions when he bagged seven wickets in the opening Test in Edgbaston to put the hosts under significant pressure.

“Today, he is a world-class spinner. I remember four or five years ago, I spoke that he is a good bowler but not yet a world-class bowler. Back then, I saw potential in him. But it was important for him to play outside India, perform and learn, and only then he would be a ready bowler.

“I think that has happened, and we can see that in the way Ashwin has bowled in this series. The way he is controlling the ball at present, its shape coming out of hand, pace and trajectory shaping up, setting up and trapping left-handed batsmen. “When I talk to young spinners, I tell them they have to trap different batsmen in different ways. When Ashwin is bowling, you can see he has different plans for different batsmen, and he is working them out. For someone like me who lives in the world of spin, it is enthralling to watch,” he said.