| - Pakistan captain picks his top five batsmen | ||
Johannesburg: Pakistan captain Younis Khan, with over 5,000 runs in both Tests (average of 50-plus) and ODIs, is among the finest of his generation. Before leaving for home, on Sunday night, he spoke to The Telegraph at the Sandton Sun and chose his top five batsmen. The following are excerpts Who qualifies to be a good batsman The one who stands up to be counted when the going isn’t good... Jo mushkil haalat mein kaam aye... There’s no point hitting just a few sixes and boundaries if the need of the hour is to drop anchor. The ability to handle pressure is important. Batsmen he looked up to Viv Richards and Brian Lara... Both would dictate terms, set the agenda... They didn’t have to tailor their game to the bowling, rather the bowlers had to adjust. Dono zabardaast bande rahe. His top five batsmen (alphabetically): ADAM GILCHRIST: What a batsman! Some say that Ricky Ponting has changed Australian cricket, others give credit to Matthew Hayden, but I’d choose Gilchrist... Be it in Tests or ODIs, he left a huge impact and made things easier for the other batsmen. Plus, he’d deliver in difficult situations. In Tests: 5,570 runs (17 hundreds); ODIs: 9,619 (16). BRIAN LARA: He has played some of the greatest innings in recent memory... Just look at some of his performances against Australia, in particular... For quite a few years, Lara had to steer the West Indies ship single-handedly and he ended up scoring a massive percentage of the team’s runs. In Tests: 11,953 runs (34 hundreds); ODIs: 10,405 (19). VIV RICHARDS: As I’ve said, he would dictate terms and had such arrogance... His body language showed that he meant business and the nature of the wicket didn’t bother him. Viv’s presence remains unmatched. In Tests: 8,540 runs (24 hundreds); ODIs: 6,721 (11 hundreds). SACHIN TENDULKAR: It’s difficult believing that somebody can be around for 20 years! His appetite for runs is mind-boggling... It’s only a few weeks ago that he got a great hundred (in Sri Lanka)... He delivers despite being under so much pressure... Sachin’s truly amazing. In Tests: 12,773 runs (42 hundreds); ODIs: 16,903 (44). MOHAMMED YOUSUF: He has been performing despite illnesses... Often, his body becomes stiff, but he hasn’t allowed ailments to affect his game... Then, Yousuf changed his religion, but didn’t allow personal issues either to come in the way of performing for Pakistan. In Tests: 7,023 runs (24 hundreds); ODIs: 9,495 (15). The batsman to watch out for Michael Clarke, perhaps... I’m disappointed with Rohit Sharma, though... It appears he has become a victim of excessive pressure, something pretty common in our subcontinent. Aap to jaante hi hain... Finally, message for the very young batsman (Grins) Learn to play according to the situation... Usko dekh ke khelen... You can dictate terms only after you’ve learnt to play according to what exactly is required at that moment. | ||
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