“But as a captain, he was lost…” – Shoaib Akhtar tears into Sachin Tendulkar yet again

When asked to choose between Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, veteran Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar said that Tendulkar was the superior batsman but lacked leadership ability. According to Akhtar, the 49-year-old couldn’t verify his captaincy credentials and walked away from the ship.

For his part, Akhtar is certain that Virat’s best cricket will come when he’s able to let his thoughts wander. The former seamer made the point that Virat may control a contest if he let his mind wander, using the next Twenty20 World Cup in 2022 as an example.

The ex-cricketer was similarly effusive in his praise of Virat Kohli’s career. The 47-year-old pointed out that India’s recent success has been attributed to hundreds scored by Virat Kohli, recalling a time when the team regularly won games.

What did Shoaib Akhtar say about Sachin Tendulkar?

“See, I believe Sachin Tendulkar is the best batsman in the world. But as a captain, he was lost. He left the captaincy himself,” said Akhtar while talking to Bol News.

“I was talking to one of my friends about Virat Kohli, and we were discussing the same thing. He was lost, and when he works on his mind, he will perform. When his mind became free, he ruled the T20 World Cup,” he added.

In the current Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Virat Kohli is struggling to build on solid foundations. The fact that he has only scored 111 runs in three matches so far is really concerning. Shreyas Iyer is also having difficulty scoring runs, which has contributed to India’s lacklustre performance in the middle order.

The Rohit Sharma-led team has to win the fourth and final Test match in Ahmedabad to go to the World Test Championship finals.