AB de Villiers Rate Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli - (AFP)
South Africa legend AB de Villiers has ignited a debate with his latest remarks on Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. The former right-handed batter rated Virat as the better Test batter ahead of the Master Blaster.
Sachin Tendulkar is the leading run-getter in Test history with 15921 runs in 200 innings. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli is far off with 9230 runs to his name in 210 innings. Despite the stark difference, AB de Villiers rated Virat as a better Test batter than Sachin Tendulkar.
AB de Villiers Rates Virat Kohli As Better Test Batter Than Sachin Tendulkar
AB De Villiers heaped massive praise on Sachin, and stated that the Master Blaster started the trend to score runs overseas, but Virat Kohli took it forward and raised the bar.
“I think of someone like Sachin Tendulkar way back, who started that trend for India. Yet, he wasn’t as strong as someone like Virat Kohli, who was even better. But Sachin was the first guy to show that as a subcontinent batter, you can do well in bouncy, and seaming conditions. Virat took that forward and raised the bar,” said de Villiers on his YouTube channel.
Is AB de Villiers correct in his analysis About Virat Kohli And Sachin Tendulkar?
| Criteria | Sachin Tendulkar | Virat Kohli |
| Innings | 329 | 210 |
| Runs | 15921 | 9230 |
| Average | 53.75 | 46.85 |
| 100/50 | 51/68 | 30/31 |
(Overall Stats in Test Cricket)
| Criteria | Sachin Tendulkar | Virat Kohli |
| Innings | 176 | 123 |
| Runs | 8705 | 4894 |
| Average | 54.74 | 41.12 |
| 100s | 29 | 16 |
(Sachin Tendulkar vs Virat Kohli in Overseas Conditions)
If we look at the stats, then Sachin Tendulkar averaged 53.75 after 329 innings, while Virat Kohli finished his red-ball career with an average of 46.85. However, AB de Villiers focused on playing overseas and let’s compare that data as well.
Interestingly, Sachin Tendulkar played more Test cricket overseas than in India. In 176 innings on foreign soil, the Master Blaster scored 8705 runs, averaging 54.74. Sachin Tendulkar has 29 hundreds outside India.
On the other hand, Virat Kohli averages 41.12 away in Tests. In overseas conditions, Virat Kohli has scored 4894 runs with 16 centuries to his name.
So, statistically speaking, Sachin Tendulkar has overshadowed Virat Kohli in most of the aspects in Test cricket even while playing on foreign soil.
Virat Kohli's Form Pre-Slump And Post-Slump
Everyone is aware that Virat Kohli enjoyed a lovely time in Test cricket when he made his debut in 2011. Kohli rose to fame from 2011 to 2016 and reached his prime years from 2016 to 2019. However, the same batter suffered a three-year slump where he struggled for century from 2019-2022.
Before the slump, Virat Kohli averaged nearly 55 in Test cricket and scored 27 centuries in 84 matches. However, between 2020 and 2024, his average fell to 30.72, with just two centuries in 39 Tests.
De Villiers Credits Virat Kohli For Influence On KL Rahul And Devdutt Padikkal
Speaking highly of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers credited the former India captain of developing players like Devdutt Padikkal and KL Rahul.
“There are quite a few players now like [KL] Rahul and [Devdutt] Padikkal, who have started to up that trend and follow in the footsteps of a Virat and a Sachin.
Notably, Devdutt Padikkal has played just 3 Tests in his career, and his best appearance came more than a year after Virat Kohli’s Test retirement. It was against Sri Lanka in the recently concluded 1st Test, where he accumulated 211 runs in the opening Test.
In the previous three innings, Devdutt Padikkal amassed just 90 runs in three innings, averaging 30, which came in 2024 under Virat Kohli’s presence.
Further, KL Rahul has been inconsistent, and a player of his calibre has only averaged 36.81 in Tests. Also, in overseas conditions, he has 9 Test centuries, including 10 fifties.
Conclusion
AB de Villiers' remark regarding Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli is rightly scrutinised. Sachin Tendulkar has outshone Virat Kohli in almost every aspect in Test cricket, and that too when he was a lone warrior in the team in the 90s.
One area where AB de Villiers is right about Virat Kohli is how he single-handedly carried the team from 2016-19. Notably, Virat amassed 879 runs in England and South Africa, while the next best batter during that phase was Cheteshwar Pujara with 378 runs.
Talking about average, Bhuvneshwar Kumar had the best average back then after Virat Kohli. So, credit where it is due, but ranking him better than Sachin Tendulkar seems to be an exaggerated remark.
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