Former Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq has taken a shot at Virat Kohli, claiming that the Indian skipper is a consistent performer, but doesn’t belong close to the same bracket as Sachin Tendulkar.
Razzaq also felt that India’s premier fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah is overrated and isn’t as good as some of the yesteryear greats he has encountered.
The 40-year-old made a sweeping statement that the standard of world cricket has dropped in recent times and that there is no nuance to the game anymore.
“We are not seeing the same world-class players that we played against, say between 1992 and 2007. T20 cricket has changed the game. There is no depth in bowling, batting or fielding. It is all basic now,” he told Cricket Pakistan.
“Look at Virat Kohli, when he scores he scores. Yeah, he is a good player for them and is performing consistently, but I don’t place him in the same class as Sachin Tendulkar, who was a different class altogether.”
“I have played against great bowlers like Glenn McGrath and Wasim Akram, so Bumrah is a baby bowler in front of me and I could have easily dominated and attacked him,” claimed Razzaq.
Razzaq represented Pakistan in ODIs from 1996 to 2013 and was a handy lower-order batsman who bowled medium pace.
He played 46 Tests, 265 ODIs and 32 ODIs for Pakistan.
He has come up against quite a few quality bowlers during his career and so he believes that he would’ve had no qualms facing Bumrah’s bowling
“After having faced world-class bowlers in my time, I would have had no problem against a bowler like Bumrah. The pressure would have been on him,” said the former Pakistani cricketer.
He also attributed the Indian pacer’s effectiveness to his unconventional bowling action.
“Bumrah is doing very well and has improved a lot. He has an awkward action and hits the seam perfectly which is why he is effective.”
Bumrah is ranked No.1 in the ICC ODI rankings for bowlers.
