Known for his precise bowling, legendary Australian pacer Glenn McGrath, who holds the world 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 its traits.
“Virat and Sachin 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 today's T20 format,” said McGrath interacting with media persons here 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 me 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 in 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, AB de Villiers, Steven 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. “Pink ball does a bit more and nips around. But they have to leave a little bit of grass just to look after the pink ball. It does deteriorate pretty quickly. I am looking forward to see how it goes in India. Wickets here are generally more abrasive. I want to see how pink ball holds up. I'm really a big fan of the concept and day/night Tests to keep the people's interest in mind.”
The 46-year-old pace bowling great hoped that people would fill the stadiums when India hosted Australia for a Test series in the later part of the 2016-17 season. “I think you will get good crowd when Australia are here, especially if India are winning. I think a lot of Indians like to see Australia getting beaten,” he said.
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