During the testing times amid Coronavirus pandemic, Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir took some time off and answered a couple of burning questions in a social media interaction with his friends and teammates.
In the freewheeling conversation, Amir was asked to name who he thinks is the best batsman ever to play the gentlemen’s game. Responding to the question, the left-hander came up with an interesting take and picked Saeed Anwar as the best Pakistani batsman of all time before lauding current Indian skipper Virat Kohli.
“My overall favourite in Pakistan is Saeed bhai, but if you talk about this era, then it is Virat Kohli. There is no match to him in this era,” Amir said.
The rivalry between Kohli and Amir has often been compared to that of Sachin Tendulkar and Shoaib Akhtar. Despite their on-field friction, the two players have always maintained respect for each other.
Amir has never shied away from praising the Indian captain. Talking to Wisden India in 2017, the Pakistani speedster said, “The world knows Kohli is the best. You have to give your best against him. If you give him a chance, he takes away the game as he did in the Dhaka Asia Cup game. So I have to focus and do my best to target him. He has the best strike rate and average while chasing, so he is also the biggest challenge for bowlers around the world.”
Previously, Kohli had lauded Amir, stating that Amir is one of the best bowlers he has ever faced. In a television chat with Aamir Khan, Kohli said, “I would like to compliment Mohammad Amir for the way he bowled. I actually congratulated him while he was bowling. I was so happy to play such an amazing spell. He is a world-class bowler.”
