WATCH: Cheteshwar Pujara picks former Pakistan captain as superior spin player

India’s Test batting mainstay, Cheteshwar Pujara, has acknowledged former Pakistan captain Younis Khan as a better player of spin than himself.

In a video segment shared on Instagram by a cricket media outlet, the 103-Test veteran was asked to name batters he considered superior to him against spin bowling. 

As various prominent names were presented to him — including Mushfiqur Rahim, David Warner, Dean Elgar, Ross Taylor, Jonny Bairstow, Rohit Sharma, and AB de Villiers — Pujara remained non-committal. 

He gave a cautious “maybe” when asked about Joe Root, but didn't fully endorse the England star as a better player of spin.

When Virat Kohli’s name came up, the right-handed acknowledged his teammate’s strength against spin. 

"I would say at par. In terms of stats, his numbers suggest that he’s a good player of spin," he said.

Speaking about Steve Smith and Kane Williamson, Pujara praised their performances — particularly against India — but suggested that comparisons in the context of spin play are difficult. 

“They have scored runs against India and their numbers are good, but I don’t know, it’s very hard to compare myself when it comes to spin, but they are quality players," said Pujara.

However, when the name of Younis Khan was mentioned, the 37-year-old didn’t hesitate. 

“Younis Khan — I would have to say that he’s better than me,” he admitted.

For the unversed, the former right-handed Pakistan legend, is the country’s highest run-scorer in Test history and the only Pakistani batter to surpass 10,000 runs in the format. 

He accumulated 10,099 runs at an average of 52.06 across 118 Tests, including 34 centuries.