Virat Kohli stole the show in the first India vs Sri Lanka ODI on Tuesday by smacking his 45th century in the format. In the process, he also edged closer to breaking legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 49 ODI tons. As Kohli inches closer to Tendulkar’s record, former Indian opening batsman Gautam Gambhir has spoken out on why the two cannot be compared.
“You can’t compare Virat with Sachin. In Sachin’s era, there weren’t 5 players inside the 30-yard circle,” said Gambhir while speaking on Star Sports. While Gambhir seems unwilling to compare the two, comparisons are bound to be made as Kohli is realistically the only batsman currently that is capable of breaking Tendulkar’s legendary record of centuries in the ODI format.
‘Pretty ordinary bowling’: Gambhir slams Sri Lanka’s bowlers
After explaining why comparisons must not be made between Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir went on to take an aim at the bowling performance of the Sri Lankans. “It was pretty ordinary bowling. The top three of the Indian batting line-up have got lots and lots of runs behind them. Rohit and Kohli obviously. Shubman also has the ability to get so many runs in international cricket. And how easy it was for Rohit and Shubman to get runs today,” said Gambhir.
The opening duo of Rohit and Gill set up the perfect platform for Team India as they scored 143 runs before the latter was dismissed by Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka in the 20th over. With the Men in Blue getting off to a flyer, Gambhir was left perplexed about the inconsistency in Sri Lanka’s bowling attack. “That was a surprise for me. You have to be consistent and Sri Lanka’s bowling unit was very very disappointing for me,” added Gambhir.
Sri Lanka’s bowling was undoubtedly struggling as Team India went on to register a mammoth target of 374 runs thanks to the opening partnership of Rohit and Gill followed up by the outstanding century from Virat Kohli. Kohli smacked 113 runs off just 87 deliveries, an inning that included 12 fours and a six. In reply, the Men in Blue restricted Sri Lanka to just 306 runs in their 50 overs and registered a 67-run win in the process.