5 Indian cricketers who share common traits with international legends

Ganguly’s style of play was compared to England’s great early in his careerEvery game has its legends and cricket is no exception to this. Legends are players who not only do great service to their own country but also leave their mark all over the world for others to follow, particularly the youngsters.But what happens when a player of the current era starts getting compared to a legend of yesteryear; sometimes by the icons themselves and at times by those who are watching from the sidelines. There have been a few such instances in Indian cricket and here we take a look at 5 of the most memorable ones.

#5 Ishant Sharma - Glenn McGrath

Ishant Sharma had reminded Steve Waugh of a young Glenn McGrath

At the time when Ishant Sharma rose to prominence in the 2008 Border-Gavaskar Trophy played in Australia, he reminded some of the great Australian fast bowler, Glenn McGrath.

Among them was Australia’s very own former skipper Steve Waugh, who, during an interview, had opened up about the fact that according to him Sharma is very much like McGrath was in his youth. Comparisons like this coming from a man of the stature of Waugh was a proof of the giant strides Ishant had taken early in his career.

Although so far the young Indian bowler’s career has not been able to reach its peak, he has surely shown signs of getting to his top form of late. Taking a few tips from the career of the man he was once compared to may just provide him the guidance that he needs to reach to the pinnacle of his game.

#4 Irfan Pathan - Wasim Akram

Irfan Pathan’s bowling action is very similar to the Pakistani legend

When he emerged on the world cricketing scene, Irfan Pathan was frequently compared to the legendary Wasim Akram. The basis for this was the similarity in bowling action and also the way in which he swung the ball both ways.

One of the first people to point out this sameness was none other than the man who had spotted the talent of Akram, the great Imran Khan. By the time, Irfan found his footing in international cricket, even Akram himself was convinced about the youngster sharing traits with him and decided to assist him with his bowling.

Pathan has not been able translate his early success into a career of substance so far, but every now and then Akram has been advocating his return to the scheme of things for the Indian national team.

In an interview in 2012, he had even expressed the will to see a long rope being given by the Indian selectors to the left-arm medium pacer in order to sort his issues.

No one knows whether Pathan will be able to make a comeback into the Indian team or not, but the initial phase of his career will always be memorable particularly due to the comparisons he drew with the Pakistani master of swing.

#3 Sourav Ganguly - David Gower

Two lefties with the same traits

Being a self-proclaimed fan of England’s legendary batsman David Gower, former Indian batsman and skipper Sourav Ganguly admits to have modelled his game around his idol.

So when the Indian ace walked in to bat for the first time in his career at the Lord's stadium and played some of the shots made famous by the iconic Englishman, most cricket pundits, especially those sitting in the commentary box were compelled to acknowledge the similarities between the two.

Ganguly's drives through the off-side had the same touch of lazy elegance for which Gower became popular throughout his career. When questioned by the media on the resemblance between his strokeplay and that of England's masterful southpaw, Sourav was quick to point out how he admired David Gower's batting and how he was the first cricketer who encouraged him to take up the game.

All we can say about this as Indian cricket fans is "Thank You, David" for playing the game in the way that the former England player did, because if it hadn't been for him, maybe we wouldn't have got a batsman and leader like 'Dada'.

#2 Virat Kohli - Viv Richards

Two killer instincts

Indian batsman and Test captain Virat Kohli has found an admirer and that is none other than the West Indian great Viv Richards. Richards has been very vocal about his liking for Kohli and has also sprung up in the latter’s defence whenever he has received criticism.

In the year 2013, the burly Antiguan even went on record stating that he finds a lot of himself in Kohli’s overall approach towards the game. This was during an interview during IPL 2013 when he had been appointed team ambassador for one of the franchises.

When asked which traits of his were similar to that of the Indian champion, he said that it is the aggression and serious passion towards the game that Richards himself had during his playing days.

He also felt that Kohli allows the ball to come to himself much like the masterful batsman did when he was out in the middle. Two more things that the legend pointed out about the young Indian were his ability to stand his ground under pressure and the guts to not back off from a confrontation.

Remarks like these from a cricketer of the calibre of Viv Richards speaks volumes about the reputation that the Indian Test skipper has made for himself so far and it will only help him take his game forward to the next level.

#1 Sachin Tendulkar - Sir Donald Bradman

The two greats

Easily the most popular instance of an Indian cricketer sharing traits with an international legend is what Sachin Tendulkar shares with arguably the greatest cricketer ever, Sir Donald Bradman.

And the amazing bit is that this was brought to the notice of the world by the Australian legend himself after watching Sachin bat as he felt that he saw many glimpses of his own batting style.

His wife was the first person whom Bradman had shared his views with and from there it went on to become one of the most famous accolades for the Indian master.

The Australian great took his admiration of Tendulkar a step further when he invited the Master Blaster along with another icon from his own country, Shane Warne, to meet him at his Adelaide home on the occasion of his 90th birthday on 27 August 1998.

During the meeting, Sir Donald Bradman told Sachin that he was the best batsman in the world at that time, a compliment that the great Indian batsman considers to be one of the biggest honours for him.