'Sachin was very soft, Virat comes out aggressive' - Venkatesh Prasad draws comparison between Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli

The comparisons between the former Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar and current skipper Virat Kohli are not new. India’s veteran speedster Venkatesh Prasad also detailed his opinion on the much-anticipated topic as he spoke at lengths about the different batting styles of the batting maestro of the previous and present era.

The comparisons between Sachin and Virat have been fueled by the fact that just like Sachin, Virat has established himself as the backbone of India’s batting line-up. While Tendulkar was the one who scripted history by making records, Kohli seems to be on a mission of breaking the record to touch new milestones.

While appearing on the Grade Cricketer Podcast, Venkatesh Prasad hailed both the batters as brilliant human beings. Drawing comparisons between the behavior of the two players, Prasad reckoned that Tendulkar was a very calm personality on the cricket field and people rarely saw him showing any emotions on the field.

Virat, on the other hand, is known for his aggressive outlook towards the game and comes out as a dominating personality who wants to score more and more runs to help his team win each and every game.

“They are both brilliant individuals honestly speaking. On one side, Sachin was very soft, and of course, Virat comes out aggressive, but it’s not his nature. It’s just on the field because he wants to win and perform in every single game,” Prasad said on The Grade Cricketer Podcast.

“So did Sachin. He wanted to do well in every single game. You don’t really see much emotion from Sachin. We never say any, whether he scored a hundred or got out for a duck… whatever. Even when he gets hit, we don’t see much emotion, whereas Virat is someone who likes to express himself,” he added.

They are two different people, two different characters: Venkatesh Prasad

Further in the interaction, the veteran speedster recalled an incident from a game between India and Pakistan when Tendulkar got hit on his head by a nasty bouncer off Wasim Akram. However, instead of saying something to the bowler, Tendulkar quietly took the field and on the very next delivery, smashed a stunning maximum.

“The second ball again, Wasim bowls a bouncer. Same typical pace, same length and it’s coming at the height of his head. Perfectly targeted but Sachin hits it for a six. Again, no reaction from Sachin.”

“Probably Virat, if he had got the same thing, after scoring a six, he would pump his fist or stare stared at the bowler. They are two different people, two different characters and both are extremely important for the game to really flourish,” Prasad explained.

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