Star Indian batsman Virat Kohli opened up on the comparisons with Sachin Tendulkar and called the 'Master Blaster' as an "emotion" and "source of inspiration".
Kohli has been a sensation for his ability to score runs across all formats and is considered the natural successor to Tendulkar for a long time.
In fact, at a time, Kohli was even tipped to surpass Tendulkar's achievements. His batting prowess often leads fans to compare him to Tendulkar and many believe that he might end up matching the record of 100 international centuries scored by the cricketing legend or even go past it.
However, Kohli, who now boasts of having 75 international hundreds to his name across all formats, believes the comparison is "embarrassing" for him and hailed Tendulkar as his inspiration.
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What did Virat Kohli say about comparisons to Sachin Tendulkar?
Kohli was frank when he talked about how the likes of Sachin and West Indian legend Vivian Richards used to influence fans and believes he doesn't have that quality.
"I think being compared to him constantly is embarrassing to me. I can understand where people come form, stats and numbers tell you one thing. But the impact a person leaves on you when you watch him play as a child is a very different feeling that emerges.
"For me, Sachin Tendulkar and Vivian Richards cannot be and should not be compared to anyone. And why I say is because they revolutionised the game in their eras when no one was thinking about playing the game like that," he told during an interview to Jio Cinema.
"For me, Sachin Paaji has always been an emotion. You speak to anyone they always looked at him as one of their own and that happens because there is so much faith everyone has in him, and in fact, when he was playing we used to feel comfortable. He is our source of inspiration and source of comfort which we all look for, when he used to score runs, life was good. It is like eating home food, you know the feel we get, the comfort.
Virat Kohli reply to comparison with Sachin Tendulkar ❤️🙌 pic.twitter.com/7LW1vHBebU
— Ayush (@Ayush18virat) April 17, 2023
"It is a very different kind of impact that he left on me. People who all like to enjoy comparing and stats, that is okay. I am just happy that in whatever little way people see it, I have been able to carry that expectation forward. I can nurture and keep continuing to provide Indian cricket, and I know contributions are important and I feel honoured to be in this position. I take a lot of pride in that and I am just grateful that the transition was able to happen soon," he further added.
