Virat Kohli’s staggering batting displays over the last couple of years have invariably evoked comparisons with the great Sachin Tendulkar.
Advertisement
Not many people could have imagined that there would be someone who could hold a candle to the ‘Little Master’. But that was before Kohli went into overdrive and entered a different stratosphere over the last three years.
The Indian skipper’s consistency has been brilliant ever since he became the linchpin of the Indian side. Ever since Sachin retired in 2013, Kohli has taken up the mantle of the India’s batting talisman.
Since then, Kohli has stepped up his game and gone on to become one of the modern greats in the game. The Delhi batsman has scored runs in all conditions, and scored centuries in every country that he has played in.
If we look at Sachin’s career graph, the Mumbai blaster had three incredible years from 1996 to 1998. Tendulkar took batsman ship to another level, as he dominated bowling attacks all over the world.
The statistical comparison between the two is quite astonishing, as both Kohli and Tendulkar boast of a similar record.
Both players were 29 when they reached their 33rd ODI century, while Kohli took less than 10 years to achieve this landmark. Tendulkar though took a couple of years more.
Kohli has taken 100 innings less than Sachin to reach 33rd centuries, as the Indian skipper has accelerated his run scoring over the last couple of years.
Kohli has also scored a century in all nine test playing nations, while Sachin has not. Tendulkar missed his three-figure mark by four runs, as his highest score in West Indies is 96 not out.
Out of Sachin’s 33 centuries, he has scored 20 outside India and 8 outside Asia. Kohli on the other hand has scored 19 outside India, with 10 coming outside Asia.
At this point in their careers, both Kohli and Tendulkar had scored their maximum number of centuries against Sri Lanka, with eight and seven respectively.
Obviously it is difficult to compare players from different generations, but we can say that Kohli’s record in ODIs is better than Sachin’s at this moment. And the way he is playing right now, you won’t put it past Kohli to break Sachin’s record of 49 ODI centuries.
