Known for his precise bowling, legendary Australian pacer Glenn McGrath, who holds the record for highest number of Test wickets (563) by a fast bowler, was accurate while comparing two star Indian batsmen – Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli – and their traits.
“Virat [Kohli] and Sachin [Tendukar] are different personalities. There is no doubt that Sachin is one of the all time greats.
Virat is confident; he has got this attitude to batting. He does not back down.
Sachin was positive and confident and went about his business.
“Virat brings a different level of attitude to the game which I like and I think that will hold him in good stead. I think he will be around for a long time. Virat probably comes a bit harder at you, considering the T20 format,” said McGrath interacting with mediapersons on Tuesday.
Asked about his famous duels with Tendulkar, McGrath said, “I would never say I dominated Sachin Tendulkar. I had some good days against him and he had some good days against me as well.
“I enjoyed bowling to the guys who were described as class players and were able to adjust to the conditions around the world. I would bowl to Sachin in areas which he did not like and he would wait for a bad ball.”
Speaking about the sliding popularity of Test cricket, McGrath said, “Test cricket is still the ultimate and young people should hold it in high regard. I used to have concerns about T20 cricket and its impact on the game but I think it can have a positive impact by bringing new people into the game to watch it and to play. That might filter up to the Test level. “You look at the guys like Virat, A.B. de Villiers, Steve Smith, Joe Root — they are quality Test players and are also up there with the best in T20. You still need to be a quality batsman to succeed at T20 level too.”
McGrath said he liked the pink ball experiment in order to revive the longest format of the game.
