In Indian cricket, two players who are constantly compared is legend Sachin Tendulkar and current skipper Virat Kohli.

So when Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was questioned to choose between the two great batsmen, he was stumped.

During a chat, Microsoft India President Anant Maheshwari asked Nadella to choose between Kohli and Tendulkar.

“This is like picking religions. I would say Sachin yesterday, Virat today,” Nadella replied.

Nadella loves cricket and in his book ‘Hit Refresh’, he outlined how the game influenced his personal and professional life.

“No matter where I am, this beautiful game is always in the back of my mind. The joy, the memories, the drama, the complexities, and the ups and downs - the infinite possibilities,” Nadella has written in his book.

Nadella even spoke about his meeting with Anil Kumble, who has a startup, Spektacom Technologies.

“...he was kind enough to let me take a ball and hit it for a six, which is the only time I got to do it in life, live my dream,” Nadella said.

The India-born executive was also asked about his favourite subject in school and Nadella said, “history”. He also compared coding to poetry.

“I always think of coding is like poetry, it’s just compact expression. So I think coding can inspire you, in both liberal arts as well as in the sciences, to really make a difference,” he said.

He also spoke about his love for books and the 52-year old said he would want to read all he had bought.

“...if I could read all the books I bought. I’d be so much better off. That’s why I am so excited about natural language progress because that’s what I need,” he said.

(Agency inputs)