Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting believes Indian captain Virat Kohli should not be compared to legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar yet as the Delhi batsman still has a long way to go in his career.

“Comparisons are hard to make at this stage of his (Kohli’s) career. You are being compared with someone who has played 200 Test matches. What you remember about Sachin is when he was finishing off. You don’t remember when he was in mid 20s,” Ricky Ponting told PTI Bhasha.

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“Everyone is saying exceptional things about Virat (Kohli) now but let’s see if he can dominate international cricket for about 10, 12 or 15 years which would be a sign of a real champion player,” Ponting said adding, “Sachin did that in all three formats. If someone can play 200 Tests its incredible. I myself have played 168 Tests but 200 is something else.”

The 29-year-old Indian captain has scored 6147 runs in 71 Test match with the help of 23 centuries. Sachin Tendulkar has amassed 15921 runs in 200 Tests including 51 hundreds.

In the limited overs game, Sachin has scored 18426 runs in 463 matches, including 49 centuries, while Kohli has scored 9779 runs with the help of 35 centuries in 211 One Day International (ODIs).

When Ponting was asked about Virat Kohli’s captaincy in the context of his recent failure in England, Ponting said, “I did not see all the matches in the Test series. The game has been seen for a few hours, but for me, there is an important aspect beyond the field in the captaincy. ”

Ponting added, “In the field, such changes in bowling, the field crowd is all about 30 to 40 per cent and the rest is preparing three or four days ahead of the match. It matters a lot. ‘

Talking about his experience while playing in India, he said, “I have gone to India more than fifty but initial visits were not easy. When I understood the culture and culture of India, I could play better. I also say to young cricketers that before playing in India, understand India which is different from our country but the passion of cricket is our share.”