IPL 2023: Ricky Ponting weighs in on Sachin Tendulkar vs Virat Kohli; 'Different game now'

IPL 2023: Legendary Australian captain Ricky Ponting recently appeared on The ICC Review and put out his opinion on the Sachin Tendulkar vs Virat Kohli debate. Interestingly, this comes just prior to the Indian cricket legend’s 50th birthday on April 24. Meanwhile, speaking to Sanjana Ganesan on The ICC Review, Ponting heaped praises on Tendulkar while also revealing his thoughts on the India great’s comparison with another superstar, Virat Kohli. 

On being asked to chose who is the best among Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, Ponting said it’s hard to compare both players as they belong to different areas. Moreover, the former Aussie skipper added that recent rule changes in the sport have made it easier for the batsmen to score runs. He also mentioned how the modern-day bats have become better, with field restrictions and new balls also playing a significant hand in making a difference.

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“When Sachin was playing ODIs, the ball at the end of a 50-over game was very hard to see. It was very soft. It was very hard to hit, it reverse swung. You don't see that at all in the modern 50-over game,” Ponting explained.

"Judge the quality of players on their longevity"

"I always like to judge the quality of players on their longevity in the game. I think that's the best way to judge players because maintaining such a higher level of excellence for so long is the hardest thing to do. Some players can come in and do it for three or four years and look like the best players in the world, but the very, very best sustain it for long periods of time and Sachin sustained it for more than 20 years at the international level,” the Delhi Capitals head coach added.

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The 48-year-old further said a comparison between two of the greatest cricketers from India might be easier once Kohli concludes his career. "To play 200 Test matches (like Tendulkar) within itself is an unbelievable feat,” Ponting added. "Regardless of how many runs you make, how many hundreds you make, to be physically good enough and have a skillset set good enough to stand up and play 200 Test matches is amazing."

"Virat's got all that ahead of him just yet. He's an unbelievably good player, there's no doubt about that. He's got over 70-odd international hundreds now. Sachin made a 100, didn't he? Let's wait until Virat's career's over and then I think it'll a much fairer comparison,” he added.