Glenn McGrath: "If bowling to Kohli, I would have played on his mind"

Former Aussie speedster Glenn McGrath has put forth his opinion about the perpetual comparisons between Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar. Since he was involved in numerous contests with Tendulkar in the past, his opinion on both of them makes for an interesting topic.

While the current Indian skipper is doing justice to his reputation to a consistent run-machine, he is also breaking several records in that process. He has broken several records that Sachin Tendulkar set but viewers and fans all over the world, in particular, look forward to his next big milestone which is to get past the legend’s record of most centuries in ODIs.

Do not compare eras – The Kohli-Tendulkar rivalry

On the comparisons between Kohli and Tendulkar, Aussie pace ace said, “I don’t like to compare eras. Every era makes it own demands and the pitches, generally, are better for batting these days. Sachin, on his day, could decimate attacks. Kohli is a very attacking batsman too.” McGrath tells Sportstar.

There are very few bowlers that trouble Kohli at the moment but what McGrath’s plan would have been bowling to Kohli is a sight we will never witness. However, he explains what it would possibly be by saying, “Kohli is a quality batsman, a confidence player, and as a bowler, I would cut off his scoring areas and build pressure. He is good through the off-side, I would block him there. He is good off his legs too and again I would deny him runs in that area.”

McGrath added, “Kohli is solid technically, has an aggressive attitude, goes about his cricket with passion and I would like to play on his mind, prevent him from scoring freely.”

“And I would bowl an in-between length at Kohli, neither too full nor too short and cramp him for room,” he elaborated, as reported by Sportstar.

There were other tactics too, McGrath revealed, that could work against a run-machine such as Kohli. “For instance, you could have an aggressive field and bowl a defensive line. There are areas to score but the ball is not there to be hit. It forces mistakes.”

Then there is the classic McGrath ploy, hitting the top of off-stump, a line which is known to be a dominant one in his dismissals in the past. “The length for this depends from wicket to wicket and from batsman to batsman. When I bowl this line, I would want a full slip cordon. There is nothing worse for a bowler than to see the ball going through an empty area in the cordon.”

On how far Kohli could travel in his extraordinary journey, McGrath answered, “If he continues to bat the way he is doing now, he could well go past Sachin’s records.”