Sachin 'would have scored one lakh runs' with current rules: Shoaib

Sachin Tendulkar is the highest run scorer of all time, the only player to have scored one hundred international centuries, the holder of the record for the most runs in both Test and ODIs cricket, and the only player to score more than 30,000 runs.

How many more runs could he have scored had the Indian legend played in the current era of the game?

According to former Pakistan bowling great Shoaib Akhtar, much better. Three times as much better, to be precise.

The pace great said new rules have tilted the game so much in batters’ favour that Tendulkar would have scored “one lakh runs” had he played today.

“You have brought two new balls. You have made the rules stricter. You give as much leverage as possible to batsmen. You allow three reviews. Imagine if Sachin had three reviews during his time, he would have scored one lakh runs,” Akhtar said during a chat with former India coach Ravi Shastri on his YouTube channel.

“Poor Sachin. I say ‘poor Sachin’ because he initially played against Wasim [Akram] and Waqar [Younis], he played against Shane Warne, then played against Brett Lee and Shoaib [Akhtar], and later he played the next generation of fast bowlers. That’s why I call him a very tough batsman,” he added.

Cricket has become very batting oriented today, Akhtar said. “Earlier, as a batsman, you would enjoy watching the fast bowlers approaching you with hair flying, bowling bouncers.”

Shastri had his own suggestion to bring some “balance” to the game. “If you want to bring some balance, I always say there shouldn’t be two bouncers in an over. That limit should be increased,” he said.