Pujara was quick to praise the former Pakistan skipper
India’s senior Test batter Cheteshwar Pujara has named former Pakistan captain Younis Khan as a better player of spin than himself during a recent video segment posted on Instagram by a cricket media outlet.
The 103-Test veteran was asked to compare himself to various international batters in terms of spin-playing ability. When names like Mushfiqur Rahim, David Warner, Dean Elgar, Ross Taylor, Jonny Bairstow, Azhar Ali, Rohit Sharma, and AB de Villiers were mentioned, Pujara gave neutral or hesitant responses.
He cautiously said “maybe” when asked about Joe Root and said that Virat Kohli is “at par” with him, adding that Kohli’s stats prove his strength against spin.
Discussing Steve Smith and Kane Williamson, the 37-year-old said both were quality players who have scored heavily against India but insisted that comparisons in spin play can be difficult.
However, when asked about Younis Khan, Pujara was quick to praise the former Pakistan skipper.
“Younis Khan — I would have to say that he’s better than me,” he admitted without hesitation.
Younis Khan remains Pakistan’s highest run-scorer in Test history with 10,099 runs at an average of 52.05, including 34 centuries in 118 matches. He is also the only Pakistani batter to cross the 10,000-run mark in the longest format.