Summer of 1998. Temperatures soared well above 40-degree Celsius. The Australians faced a 'Desert Storm' in Sharjah. Sachin Tendulkar tore the Australian bowling attack apart.
18 years later, Virat Kohli gave us a few hours of pure unbridled joy that every Indian will remember for a very long period of time.
After the Fab Four, every cricket fan was looking for a new idol, a new hero and plenty of fans found solace in Kohli last night. In a country where you need to have a superhero all the time, Kohli seems to be the perfect option. He is super-talented, and super-successful.
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But is he really the ‘next Sachin Tendulkar'?
A lot is being said over Virat Kohli being the new ‘God of Cricket’. But what fans forget sometimes is Sachin's sheer longevity in all formats separates him from rest of the race.
I still remember the days when Sachin used to get out and we used to turn off the TV. It's impossible to assess Tendulkar's credentials with just numbers despite him being the most prolific run maker in the history of cricket.
Not only did he play against legendary spin wizards and fastest bowlers, but also against some of the greatest captains of the game. He achieved success against everyone and everything with unbelievable longevity.
In the latter part of his career, Sachin became a run accumulator, but even in that role he continued to amaze. His strengths were still his vintage straight drive and his decent ability to rotate the strike.
Their roles are completely different
For starters, let's not compare an opener with a middle-order batsman. Both are different kinds of batsmen. Tendulkar was himself different kinds of batsmen over his career.
It is unfair to compare a player who started his career in the 90s with a player from the modern generation.
The way Sachin gave us confidence up the order, no other batsman has done that for any other team. On the other hand, Kohli is the best in his position.
Let's not forget Tendulkar was pushed up the order from lower-middle and middle to opening. That was simply because there was nobody else to open the innings. He carried the weight of the entire top-order in the 90s when he was at his peak.
Life is easier for Kohli compared to Tendulkar
Let's accept this fact without playing favourites. Kohli is not playing in the era of McGrath, Warne, Akram, Saqlain, Walsh, Pollock, and Muralitharan – to name just a few.
Sachin never had an opener before Sourav Ganguly to help give the team a great start. He never had a Yuvraj or Raina to give him company in the middle. He played all of their roles, and often to perfection.
Sachin never had a finisher like Dhoni to finish the game. He had to do that role too, at times. And when he occasionally failed to get the team home, he was derided for ‘not being a match-winner'.
Comparing a man who donned all the roles to someone who is doing really well today is not fair at all to the 'Little Master'.
Parameters of comparison
It's wrong to draw comparisons between Tendulkar and Kohli. It's wrong to draw comparisons between Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar too. The reason is simple: they are from different generations.
Is it okay to compare Dennis Lillee and Imran Khan with Mohammed Amir and Mitchell Starc? It is advisable to compare Root, Smith and Williamson with Kohli. Not Tendulkar.
If Kohli is Sachin 2.0, Dhawan must be Ganguly 2.0 and Ashwin must be Kumble 2.0. But is it fair to give them such names?
Is there a Warne 2.0 in Australia or Akram 2.0 in Pakistan?
Comparing players across generations is like comparing a winger and a striker in football. It is good for an argument, but the debate will go on forever.
The comparison can never be resolved objectively and hopefully will never be. Hundreds of variables come into play and thousands of viewpoints crop up.
Why do we Indians need to put down one legend to praise another?
Kohli enjoys a lot of support from the current batting line-up, with many talented and matured players for company. But in the 90s with the likes of Azharuddin, Jadeja and Robin Singh fading and the Gangulys and Dravids settling in, most of the times Sachin was the lone warrior of India.
Kohli is a rare gem and one day he will achieve true greatness. But sadly, he won't get a chance to show his talent in front of the 90s legends due to his sheer bad luck.
That is why Kohli shouldn't be called the ‘next Tendulkar’ or 'better than Tendulkar'. Tendulkar gave the nation a hope and taught us to dream bigger, while Kohli will never get a chance to do so because of sheer bad timing.
If we look at Kohli's current record, some of Sachin's records are clearly in his line of sight. If Kohli continues at this rate, he will be in a great position to overhaul Sachin’s record of most runs and centuries in all formats of the game.
But why do we Indians need to compare greatness at all? For one cricket is devotion, for the other it is passion.
Not long ago, we compared Tendulkar with Gavaskar. We forgot then how Gavaskar taught us to defend while Tendulkar taught us to attack. But let's not forget Kohli came into cricket after admiring Sachin.
It is not every day that a legend is born and it is not every day that legends pave the way for future ones. It takes time.
Comparisons are premature
The comparisons can wait for the time being as Kohli still has a long way to go. Right now, he's not even a fraction of what Sachin was for a cricket crazy nation like India and even the rest of the world.
I am not taking any credit away from the man of the moment. He is certainly one of the greatest to have ever graced the game. Let's hope he continues his current form, plays with utmost passion, and gets to the level where Sachin has been for years.
For the time being, it might be too early to take a call on Kohli's greatness. But 10 years down the line, there might be a new 'Master' with his own 'Little' record book.
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