Virat Kohli Or Sachin Tendulkar? R Ashwin Makes His ‘Ultimate’ Choice

R Ashwin picks between Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar [Source: AFP]Virat Kohli is closing in on Sachin Tendulkar for some elite batting records. While the former Indian skipper has already surpassed Tendulkar’s world record tally of most ODI centuries, the modern-day run machine recently crossed the 15,000-run mark in ODIs.With the world drawing comparisons between the two legendary stroke-makers, former Indian all-rounder R Ashwin is of the opinion that the two cricketers should not be compared at all. According to him, Tendulkar is still above Kohli, but there is still a way for the latter to match up to the Master Blaster’s greatness. Ravichandran Ashwin explains why Sachin Tendulkar is better than Virat KohliWhile speaking on his YouTube channel series ‘Ash ki Baat’, former all-rounder R Ashwin explained that Virat Kohli should not be compared with the great Sachin Tendulkar.R Ashwin explained that while Kohli is still one of the greatest players of all time, Tendulkar played his ODI cricket in an era where rules and playing conditions were not as suitable for batters as they are today.Also Read- Sachin Tendulkar vs Virat Kohli: Who Has Better Numbers After 15000 ODI Runs?He said “There should never be any comparisons between Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, and every time I will stick my neck out and say, Sachin Tendulkar. On two counts. First, I am a big fan. And second, look at the kind of innings he has played. Look at the rules, in the first innings, after 34 overs against West Indies in the 1st ODI, they should have played with one ball. The ball got old in daylight.”R Ashwin further explained, “Tendulkar played a lot of 50-overs cricket in day-time. We don’t play that. Five fielders are inside the circle. Two new balls. These are huge factors. And to compare people of two generations, it’s sinister in my mind.”R Ashwin reveals how Kohli can match Tendulkar’s greatnessVirat Kohli recently plundered his 86th international century, doing so this past weekend against the West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram. He is currently 14 hundreds away from matching Sachin Tendulkar’s world record tally of 100 international tons.With Team India is still scheduled to play roughly 30 more ODIs until the conclusion of Kohli’s swansong tournament, the 2027 World Cup next year, Ravichandran Ashwin believes that the former Indian skipper can level Tendulkar’s greatness if he manages to get to the landmark figure by then.R Ashwin said “As a well-wisher, I really wish he hangs up his boots by then (2027 World Cup) because he has committed that it will be his last World Cup. Logically, he can do it - score 100 centuries - and if he does, I will take my hat off. It will be a remarkable achievement. And in this home run, if he is able to do it, I would say both of them are on the same level, without a shadow of a doubt.”Virat Kohli joins Sachin Tendulkar in exclusive ODI clubThis past weekend, Virat Kohli launched nine sixes and 10 boundaries to smoke an unbeaten 139*off just 88 balls against the West Indies team in the first ODI match in Thiruvananthapuram. When the cricketer reached 61* with a sizzling boundary, he completed 15,000 ODI runs in his career, thus becoming only the second batter in history after Sachin Tendulkar to scale the landmark figure. However, Kohli still has a long way to go to even get close to the former cricketer’s overall ODI tally of 18,426 runs in 452 innings. Can Kohli match Tendulkar’s 100 international tons?While Virat Kohli has already matched or surpassed several of Tendulkar’s major ODI records that were once deemed unreachable, matching the former cricketer’s 100-century tally in international cricket remains his biggest challenge.Currently playing only ODI cricket for India, Kohli needs 14 more tons to reach 100 international hundreds.Also Read- Dhoni, Kohli, Rohit Had Not Debuted! How Cricket Was When West Indies Last Won ODI Series In India?