Not Kohli or Smith: Pujara picks player who plays spin better than him

New Delhi [India], June 18 (ANI): India’s seasoned batter Cheteshwar Pujara picked out former Pakistan maestro Younis Khan as the player who can play spinners better than him, ahead of modern-day stars including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and others in the Test format.

In a video posted by ESPNcricinfo on social media, Pujara faced some tough choices while picking out a player who is a better spin player than him. After a couple of names passed by, England’s talismanic batter Joe Root’s name popped up, and Pujara had one word to describe it: “Maybe”.

Pujara was then tested by Virat Kohli’s name to which he replied, “I would say par, in terms of stats, his numbers suggest that he is a good player of spin.”

Australia’s Steve Smith and New Zealand’s Williamson’s names were not enough to sway Pujara’s mind, and he said, “They have scored runs against India; the numbers are good. It is hard to compare myself when it comes to spin, but they are good players.”

Finally, when Younis Khan’s name came up, Pujara admitted, “I would have to say he is better than me.”

Younis regularly tormented spinners in red-ball format with his impeccable technique and swashbuckling strokeplay. He mustered up 4449 runs in 151 innings at a stellar average of 75.40 while losing his wicket 59 times.

Virat managed 3938 runs in 151 innings and maintained an average of 55.46 while striking at 57.03. His contemporary Steve Smith has conjured 4083 runs in 161 innings at 60.94 and has lost his wicket on 67 occasions.

On the other hand, Kane Williamson has 3784 runs under his belt at 65.24 and has been dismissed 58 times in 134 innings. England’s highest run-getter in Tests, Joe Root, boasts 4957 runs, averaging 60.45 in 209 innings and has lost his wicket 82 times in the process.