Image: Usman Khawaja's reaction was seen as a playful dig at the legendary Indian cricketer / © DNA India
During the 1990s and 2000s, Sachin Tendulkar dominated international cricket, becoming the all-time leading run-scorer with 34,357 runs in 664 matches. He also holds records as the highest run-scorer in ODIs with 18,426 runs and in Tests with 15,921 runs, solidifying his legacy as one of the greatest cricketers ever.
Last year, Khawaja expressed his view that Virat Kohli is superior to Tendulkar in ODIs, recognizing Tendulkar as the benchmark for his era. He noted that no one has achieved what Kohli has in the game, highlighting Kohli’s unique impact on the sport. He said:
I am going to say Virat Kohli is better than Sachin Tendulkar in ODIs. If you look at the stats, he has almost taken over how many hundreds he (Tendulkar) has got, and he has played so many more less games. Sachin was the benchmark for when I grew up, but what Kohli is doing right now—no one has ever done that in the game.
Usman Khawaja shared an Instagram story where he humorously reacted to a reel showing Waqar Younis hitting Sachin Tendulkar’s pad four times. He used Avesh Khan’s review time sticker to highlight his thoughts on the playful moment.
Usman Khawaja is in the Australia squad for the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 but has struggled, scoring 34 runs in 4 innings at an average of 11.33. He will next play in the third Test at the Gabba.