'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has picked Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo in a recent questionnaire.
The Tamil Nadu cricketer was asked several "This or That" questions prior to the second T20 international between India and South Africa. When the 37-year-old was asked to pick either Messi or Ronaldo, Karthik did not hesistate in choosing the current Argentine skipper.
Karthik said the following to back up his response (via BCCI's Twitter account):
"Messi. He is slightly different. I enjoyed watching him whatever little I have watched of him so far."
The video for the same can be seen below:
It is worth mentioning that the Indian cricket team has been divided between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. According to Cricfit, former Indian captain Virat Kohli admires Ronaldo. Meanwhile, fast bowler Mohammed Siraj celebrates a wicket by recreating the iconic Ronaldo celebration on the cricket field.
Former cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar, on the other hand, picked Messi ahead of the Manchester United forward. According to Goal, Tendulkar believes the Argentine superstar is more of his type than Ronaldo.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have had great international breaks with their national teams
Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have enjoyed great times with their respective national teams in the most recent international break. The duo seem to be in great shape ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar later this year.
Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal side have played four games in the UEFA Nations League. Ronaldo played only three of those games but did score a brace against Switzerland in a 4-0 victory for the Euro 2016 winners.
It is worth mentioning that the 37-year-old forward has now scored 117 goals for the Portugal national team, extending his own record for most goals scored in international football.
Lionel Messi, on the other hand, has had an even better international break with Argentina. The 34-year-old forward played a vital role in guiding the two-time world champions to the 2022 Finalissima title against Italy at Wembley Stadium on June 1. Messi registered two assists on the night in a 3-0 win to claim man-of-the-match during the game.
Lionel Messi would then go on to score five goals against Estonia in a 5-0 victory for Argentina in an international friendly on June 5. This was the second time Messi has scored five goals in a game in his illustrious career. He scored five times in one game for Barcelona back in 2012 against Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions League.
