'The talent Rohit Sharma has, Virat Kohli does not. Can change game in seconds'

• It is always tricky to pick between Rohit and Kohli and present cricketers have mostly given moderate answers and preferred ducking the bouncer, but not this Pakistan batsman.
• Captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are the two single-biggest batting superstars of not just Indian cricket but in the world over. However, picking one over the other has never been easy for even the ardent of fans. Kohli has his separate fanbase, as does Rohit and often the two fan clubs are at loggerheads with each other. But each time one performs well, the entire India celebrates. The debate between Rohit and Kohli has been a never-ending one. Of course, Kohli is the quintessential superstar of Indian cricket and no other batter comes even close to replicating his consistency over the years. But having said that, Rohit has been in a league of his own as well, and holds batting records, which Kohli doesn't – such as centuries in T20Is and double centuries in ODIs.

It is always tricky to pick between Rohit and Kohli and present cricketers have mostly given moderate answers and preferred ducking the bouncer. However, Pakistan's Imam-Ul-Haq isn't one of them. The star Pakistan opening batter may not have answered who the better batter is, but Imam did mention the one with more talent.

"I feel that the talent Rohit Sharma has, Virat Kohli does not. I have seen them both play but the way Rohit plays, it feels as if he is batting in replay. He has plenty of time. The first time I realised the true meaning of timing because I mostly field at point and I get to know. Virat Kohli has batted in front of me, so has Rohit Sharma but Rohit has been gifted a lot of time by God. He is one player who can change the game in seconds. When he is set, he can hit at will," Imam said on SAMAA News.

Imam has been part of several India vs Pakistan matches in which he has seen Kohli and Rohit bat from close quarters. In the 2018 Asia Cup, Imam saw Rohit score a scintillating century to help India gun down 238 inside 39 overs and win the match by nine wickets. A year later, Imam was subject to a similar hammering from Rohit, whose 140 at the 2019 World Cup paved the way for another India win over Pakistan at the World Cups. In the same match, Kohli had scored a free-flowing 85 as well.