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Former Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir shared interesting stories about dismissing Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli and about his life in the Cricket Predicta Show with its founder Sunil Yash Kalra.
Speaking on the show, Amir stated that dismissing the 'God of Cricket' Sachin Tendulkar was a very special moment. "Dismissing Sachin Tendulkar was the most special moment for me. I bowled to him only once in my life during the 2009 Champions Trophy, which was held in South Africa, and dismissed him while playing against India. I had seen him play cricket on TV and always used to think about how brilliant a batsman Sachin was," he said.
"Bowling to Sachin Tendulkar was a big thing for me. For three days after his dismissal, I was not in my senses; I could not believe I had taken Sachin Paaji’s wicket. I was new to cricket and he (Sachin Tendulkar) was the kind of player who had a deep understanding of every aspect of the game. When the captain handed me the ball, my heart was pounding. I took a deep breath and bowled to him. My condition was exactly like when I met Wasim Akram for the first time," he continued.
Notably, it was the sixth clash of the ICC Champions Trophy 2009 in South Africa, in which Pakistan defeated the arch-rivals India by 54 runs. Mohammad Amir bagged two crucial scalps of Sachin Tendulkar and power-hitter Yusuf Pathan, ending up with figures of 2/46 in eight overs.
Virat Kohli is the greatest player of this generation: Mohammad Amir
Speaking further about Virat Kohli on the Cricket Predicta Show, Mohammad Amir said, "Virat Kohli is the greatest player of this generation. I laugh when comparisons are made between him and Babar Azam, Steve Smith, or Joe Root. We cannot compare Virat Kohli to anyone because he has won so many matches for India, which seems impossible for any one player. Not just in one format, but in all three formats, Virat is the greatest batsman of this generation."
"Virat Kohli’s work ethic sets him apart from all players. After his bad phase in England in 2014, the way he made a comeback and then consistently performed brilliantly for the next 10 years was no ordinary feat. His wicket in the 2017 Champions Trophy final was very important for us, which helped us win the final. If Virat had not been dismissed, we would have lost the final because we all know how exceptional Virat’s record is while chasing runs," he added.
Speaking of Mohammad Amir’s head-to-head matchup with Virat Kohli, the former has dismissed the Indian batting stalwart on two occasions, in ICC Champions Trophy 2017 and ICC ODI World Cup 2019.
(With Inputs from Press Release)
