Virat Kohli could be the greatest after Don Bradman, Rohit Sharma makes me jealous: Sangakkara

Former Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara expresses his admiration for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for their achievements as batsmen

Bengaluru, June 8: In his playing days, former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara stood out of the pack with the elegance of his batting. Hence, it came as no surprise when the left-handed batsman picked Rohit Sharma, another purveyor of elegance, as his favourite contemporary batsman. And he opined that Virat Kohli could be the greatest batsman after Don Bradman.

"Rohit Sharma, he's another wonderful cricketer. I love watching Rohit bat. He makes me jealous because I wish I could have that languid kind of approach and that kind of almost zero effort in batting. He's so graceful, so poised and balanced, and a wonderful captain for Mumbai Indians as well," said Sangakkara in the RK Show, hosted by sports broadcaster Radhakrishnan Srinivasan in YouTube.

Sangakkara did not hide his admiration for current Indian skipper Virat Kohli too for blending skill, fitness and commitment to achieve optimum results on the field.

"He's phenomenally fit. I know and I have seen and heard of his amazing commitment and dedication to being the best that he can be, both on and off the field - physically, mentally and skill wise. He is a rare breed of a cricketer and he is an inspirational one, one of the best that I have watched in my life across every format," said Sangakkara.

"What I like about Virat the most is his passion, his personality and the fact that he is not scared to have his emotions visible on the field, whether he is captaining a side or whether he is just fighting a lone battle, trying to get India to victory. And the fact that he is an old-fashioned cricketer, not a lot of high fancy shots - just old-fashioned cricketing strokes but deadly effective and incredibly consistent.

"There's nothing to dislike about Virat. He's someone I admire hugely and (he's) already a great of the game. He has the opportunity to become maybe the greatest after the Don (Don Bradman)," the former Sri Lankan captain added.

Sangakkara became the first non-British President in the history of MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) when he was nominated in May 2019 and his term was recently extended by an additional year. In his role as a cricket administrator, Sangakkara outlined some of the changes that the game may need to adapt to resume after the hiatus caused by COVID-19.

"For a quite a long period of time, there might be new rules, regulations, and behavioural patterns that govern the restarting of these games, whether it's behind closed doors or in biosecure environments, as they are saying.

"It's going to be a process where we need all stakeholders to work together and to understand; to work with medical professionals, players and their families, home countries - everyone to contribute and partner in trying to do what is best not just for the game, but the lives that are playing the game and watching the game. It's a big responsibility.

On the hot-button topic of using alternatives instead of saliva to shine the ball, Sangakkara said a smart and commonsense approach needs to be taken.

"I have had chats with coaches in the game, and one very fundamental point raised was about saliva being used and whether artificial substances can be used to shine the ball. In light of what happened in the last two-years and the controversy surrounding artificial substances, it's come to the fore.

"But instead of it being looked down upon, now it's where they say how can we still keep the integrity of the game but still allow for the game to be played in these drastically different circumstances.

"Interesting times. It's not very easy to try and solve all of these, but as I said - partner with everyone, be proactive and be progressive," Sangakkara said.