Ian Gould Opens Up On The Similarity Between Virat Kohli And Sachin Tendulkar

Former international umpire Ian Gould is the latest one to compare and churn similarities between the current Indian captain Virat Kohli and the enigmatic Sachin Tendulkar. The debate between Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar has remained the talk of the town for quite some time now, considering their insatiable appetite for run-scoring. And while bandwagon of former and current cricketers have pitched in similarities, Ian Gould hasn’t held back either.

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The renowned English umpire retired from his umpiring career following the India-Sri Lanka clash in the 2019 World Cup in Leeds. Following his brief career for England, Gould served as an umpire for 13 years. He would best be remembered for officiating the Cape Town Test in 2018 involving the ball-tampering scandal and the 2011 World Cup semi-final between India and Pakistan.

Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, Ian Gould believes Virat and Sachin are a lot similar due to how they carry the nation’s hopes on their back single-handedly. During his playing days, Sachin Tendulkar also played several innings of note that rescued the men in blue from choppy waters and crafted a win. Ian also felt that the current Indian is his closest version and a lively man, who one could walk up to and have a chat with him combined with an immense love for the game.

“He’s a funny man. Yeah, he batted like me a couple of times. I had to tell him off for slogging it. He’s a charmer. He’s one of those guys who’s got, a bit like Sachin Tendulkar, the whole of India on his back, but you wouldn’t know. You could walk into a restaurant and sit and chat with him for hours. He’s a very worldly boy. When you look at Virat, you’re thinking male model, pin-up boy, but he knows about the game inside out, the past, history. Lovely guy.”

India boys are very, very good people, very respectful: Ian Gould

The 62-year old went on to say that despite Kohli’s aggressive nature and landing himself on trouble a few times, he sees the good in him. Not only the captain, but Gould also holds the entire Indian team in high esteem, labelling them as exceptionally respectful in the field.

“I can see why. But he’s learned to be respectful. He could have continued his career like that and people could be talking totally the opposite about Virat. He’s a nice man and the India boys are very, very good people, very respectful.”

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