'Virat Cannot be Compared With Sachin Because..': Sreesanth Settles Kohli vs Tendulkar Debate With Stunning Claim

Former India pacer S Sreesanth has claimed that Virat Kohli is a modern-day great but for all of his plaudits, the 34-year-old cannot be compared to Sachin Tendulkar. Comparisons between the two greats of Indian cricket are nothing new, and the Virat vs Sachin debate will go on further as Kohli nears Tendulkar’s tally of 49 ODI centuries.

Virat could have equalled Sachin’s tally of 49 centuries in the fifty overs format against New Zealand itself, although he was dismissed on 95 against the Kiwis in Dharamsala, meaning he is still one century behind one of the all-time greats.

Sreesanth meanwhile has asserted that while Virat Kohli has stunning numbers in all formats, Tendulkar faced some of the most fearsome bowlers in world cricket, and that is why a comparison cannot be made between the two players given the difference in the two eras during which they played.

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“Very simple theory. Virat is a legend of the modern era. He has got a lot of records, but if we look at the standard of bowling, the one that Sachin faced and the one the Virat is facing, there is a huge difference,” Sreesanth told Sportskeeda.

“The pressure situation is the same, but the quality of bowling… There are so many hundreds being scored even in the IPL. Virat cannot be compared with Sachin because the difference in the two eras is huge,” he added.

Not just the quality of the bowlers that Sachin faced, Sreesanth feels that Tendulkar could have scored 200 centuries had he played on the wickets available nowadays, along with the support from coaches and the facilities in modern-day cricket.

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“If Sachin had batted on such wickets, he would have made 200 hundreds and not 100 hundreds. I am not saying anything against Virat, but he himself would accept that if so many matches were played back then in a year, add to it the support staff and facilities to keep yourself younger, you can never compare Sachin to Kohli,” added the 40-year-old.

Virat will get another opportunity to draw level with Sachin’s tally of 49 centuries as India gear up to face defending champions England in Lucknow on Sunday.