Not Virat Kohli! Shoaib Akhtar Names His ‘Greatest Batsman of All Time’… and His Pick Is an Indian Legend

The debate over cricket’s greatest batsman of all time may never produce a unanimous answer. Different generations have witnessed different legends — from Sir Vivian Richards and Brian Lara to Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.

For former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, however, there is one name that stands above the rest.

And it isn’t Virat Kohli.

Akhtar has described Sachin Tendulkar as the “greatest ever”, arguing that world cricket had not seen a better batter before the Indian icon. His comments once again add fuel to the long-running debate over where Tendulkar and Kohli belong in cricket’s all-time hierarchy.

Shoaib Akhtar Makes His GOAT Choice Clear

Akhtar’s admiration for Tendulkar carries additional significance because he actually bowled against the Indian great during one of cricket’s most competitive eras.

The former Pakistan pacer recalled that his early international career brought him face-to-face with Tendulkar and referred to the Indian superstar as the “greatest of all time.”

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It is not the first time Akhtar has placed Tendulkar at the top.

Speaking in 2024, the former fast bowler again described Sachin as the “greatest ever”, while also naming legends such as Ricky Ponting and Brian Lara during his discussion of elite batters from previous generations.

That opinion is particularly interesting because Akhtar has repeatedly showered praise on Kohli as well.

So why does Sachin still get his vote?

Akhtar’s Reasoning: Sachin Faced a Different Kind of Challenge

One of Akhtar’s key arguments revolves around the conditions and bowling attacks Tendulkar encountered during his career.

The Pakistan legend has pointed towards the challenges of facing reverse swing and some of the finest fast bowlers in cricket history during Sachin’s era. Akhtar suggested that if Tendulkar had played under modern conditions, he could have accumulated even more runs.

That is quite a statement considering Tendulkar already finished his international career with numbers that remain extraordinary.

The Master Blaster amassed 34,357 international runs across Tests and ODIs and became the first — and so far only — player to register 100 international centuries. His tally included 51 Test hundreds and 49 ODI centuries.

But statistics tell only part of the story.

Tendulkar competed against an extraordinary collection of bowlers, including Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan and Allan Donald during different stages of his career.

For Akhtar, surviving and dominating across that period appears to carry enormous weight.

But Akhtar Has Huge Respect for Virat Kohli Too

Choosing Tendulkar does not mean Akhtar considers Virat Kohli anything less than exceptional.

Quite the opposite.

Akhtar has previously called Kohli the greatest batsman of his era, praising his ability to perform under pressure and win matches for India. He has also expressed his desire to see Kohli reach the landmark of 100 international centuries.

Years earlier, Akhtar similarly described Kohli as the best batter of his generation and praised his exceptional finishing ability.

That distinction is important.

In Akhtar’s assessment, Kohli can be the outstanding batter of his generation while Tendulkar remains his overall GOAT.

The two statements do not necessarily contradict each other.

Sachin vs Kohli: Why the Debate Never Really Ends

Comparing Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli is complicated because their careers belong largely to different cricketing eras.

Tendulkar made his international debut in 1989, when ODI cricket looked dramatically different from the modern game. Kohli’s career, meanwhile, has unfolded through an era of T20 cricket, aggressive ODI batting, increasingly sophisticated analytics and enormous expectations across multiple formats.

The rules, pitches, equipment, schedules and tactical approaches have changed considerably.

Akhtar himself has acknowledged the difficulty of comparing generations, saying that Kohli might have faced challenges had he played in his era but would still have found a way to score runs.

That may be the fairest way to look at the debate.

Instead of diminishing one legend to celebrate another, cricket fans can recognise that both dominated the challenges presented by their respective generations.

Akhtar Knows Exactly How Difficult Sachin Was to Bowl To

There is also a personal dimension to Akhtar’s choice.

Few people are better positioned to describe the challenge of bowling to Tendulkar than a fast bowler who actually tried to dismiss him at speeds approaching 100 mph.

The Sachin-Akhtar rivalry became one of the defining individual contests of India-Pakistan cricket.

Akhtar enjoyed memorable successes against Tendulkar, while Sachin also produced iconic counter-attacking moments against Pakistan’s express paceman.

Years later, Akhtar compared the excitement surrounding Virat Kohli versus Mohammad Amir with his own battles against Tendulkar, showing just how highly he regarded those contests.

When a bowler who spent years searching for ways to dismiss some of cricket’s greatest batters chooses Tendulkar as his No. 1, the opinion naturally carries weight.

So, Who Is Shoaib Akhtar’s Greatest Ever?

For Akhtar, the answer remains Sachin Tendulkar.

Virat Kohli receives enormous admiration from the Pakistan legend and has been described by him as the finest batter of his era. But when the conversation moves from the best of an era to the greatest of all time, Akhtar’s choice shifts to the Master Blaster.

Cricket fans will continue debating Sachin vs Kohli, just as earlier generations argued over Tendulkar, Lara and Richards.

There may never be one universally accepted answer.

But Shoaib Akhtar has made his choice clear — and for the Rawalpindi Express, Sachin Tendulkar remains at the top of the mountain.