The amount of talent Allah has given to Rohit Sharma, he has not given it to Virat Kohli: Imam-ul-Haq

India's batting pair of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli remains the pinnacle of batting in white-ball cricket. Despite the rise of Pakistan's Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq, Sharma and Kohli continue to rule the roost, given their staggering record and achievements.

However, Pakistan opener Imam finds Sharma the most talented of the two stalwarts, with the current Indian captain having more time while batting.

The left-handed batter further explained that watching Sharma bat is like watching a replay.

Speaking to SAMAA TV, Imam said, "I feel that the amount of talent Allah has given to Rohit Sharma, he has not given it to Virat Kohli, perhaps. I have seen both of them bat; it seems like Rohit is batting in a replay. He has a lot 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 Allah."

Imam, the number two ODI batter in the ICC Rankings ahead of Kohli (3rd) and Sharma (4th), added that he wants to emulate the Mumbai Indians' batting style for Pakistan.

"He is one player who can change the game in two seconds. When he is set, he can hit at will. My wish is to give as influential performances like Rohit. If I play that style of cricket for Pakistan, I would be very happy," the 26-year-old concluded.

Imam has played 52 ODIs for Pakistan, where he has clashed against India 3 times and managed just 19 runs.

Overall, Imam has scored 2,520 runs, including nine hundreds and 14 half-centuries. He will next be seen in action in the Test against Sri Lanka on Saturday.

Rohit scored a match-winning 76* against England in the first ODI, guiding India to a 10-wicket win and a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Kohli's participation in the second match this evening continues to be unsure after he was left out of the first game owing to a groin injury.