Bumrah vs Shaheen, Sachin vs Inzamam: Waqar Younis Picks His Favourites

Shivam Sharma

abplive|30-10-2026

When it comes to debates over who is the better cricketer between India and Pakistan, opinions are often divided. While some fans back Sachin Tendulkar, others may prefer Virat Kohli. Former Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis was recently asked to make several such comparisons, and his choices made for an interesting discussion.

During his appearance on Shubhankar Mishra's podcast, Waqar was presented with a series of head-to-head contests involving prominent players from the two countries. Interestingly, he favoured Indian cricketers in most of the match-ups.

One of the first comparisons involved batting legends Sachin Tendulkar and Inzamam-ul-Haq.

Waqar picked Sachin over the former Pakistan captain. He also backed Virat Kohli when asked to choose between him and Babar Azam. Both selections went in favour of Indian batters.

Bumrah Or Shaheen? Waqar Makes His Choice

The discussion then moved to fast bowling. Waqar preferred India's Jasprit Bumrah over Pakistan's Shaheen Afridi. He also selected Mohammed Shami ahead of Mohammad Amir, giving Indian bowlers the edge in both comparisons.

Dhoni, Dravid And Rohit Get Waqar's Vote

Waqar also backed MS Dhoni over Pakistan great Javed Miandad in the finisher category.

Explaining his decision, he pointed out that Dhoni had won more matches for his team during his career.

When asked to pick between Rahul Dravid and Younis Khan, the former Pakistan pacer chose the Indian batter. He also rated Rohit Sharma above Fakhar Zaman and selected VVS Laxman over Misbah-ul-Haq.

Waqar Picks Pakistani Stars Too

However, Waqar's selections were not entirely dominated by Indian players. He chose Saeed Anwar over Virender Sehwag and preferred Imran Khan to Kapil Dev.

In the spin-bowling comparisons, Waqar picked Anil Kumble as his choice for Test cricket, while Saqlain Mushtaq got his vote for ODIs.

He was also asked to choose between young talents Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sameer Minhas. Waqar refrained from picking either player, saying he had not watched enough of them to make a fair comparison.

In the spin-bowling comparisons, Waqar picked Anil Kumble as his choice for Test cricket, while Saqlain Mushtaq got his vote for ODIs.

He was also asked to choose between young talents Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sameer Minhas. Waqar refrained from picking either player, saying he had not watched enough of them to make a fair comparison.

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