Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has sparked a debate by claiming Virat Kohli is a better overseas batter than Sachin Tendulkar. This assertion drew criticism from the cricket community, including a sharp retort from former Indian pacer Dodda Ganesh, with many pointing to Tendulkar’s statistically superior record in overseas Test matches.
Former South Africa captain and flamboyant batter AB de Villiers has sparked debate on social media, especially X (formerly Twitter), after he asserted that Virat Kohli is a superior batter to Sachin Tendulkar in challenging, seaming, and bouncy overseas conditions.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, AB de Villiers 360, the former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter argued that while Tendulkar paved the way as the first subcontinent batter to succeed in tough overseas environments, Kohli ultimately took that legacy further and raised the bar to a higher level.
“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,” he said.
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The remarks by AB de Villiers did not sit well with the Indian cricket community, which was quick to challenge his assessment, with several fans arguing that comparing Kohli and Tendulkar in this manner was unfair, given the latter has a better record and batting average than Kohli across almost every major overseas country in Test cricket.
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‘Pass on the Weed’
Former South Africa AB de Villiers has sparked debate on social media and even been trolled for his bold claim. One of them was former India and Karnataka pacer Dodda Ganesh, who took a sharp and cheeky swipe at the former South African star on X.
Taking to his X handle (formerly Twitter), Ganesh mockingly responded to de Villiers’ assessment, suggesting that the former South African batter might have been under the influence while making the comparison between Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli in overseas Tests.
“Pass on the weed, brother.” the former India pacer wrote.
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Despite AB de Villiers playing against Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, who is his former RCB teammate, his controversial take largely ignored the sheer weight of Tendulkar’s numbers in his overseas Tests during his illustrious career that spanned 24 years, where he consistently delivered across Australia, England, South Africa, and New Zealand.
How Did Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli Perform in Overseas Tests?
Sachin Tendulkar is currently the leading run-getter in the history of Test cricket, with 15921 runs, including 51 centuries and 68 fifties, at an average of 53.78 in 329 innings across 200 matches. Virat Kohli, on the other hand, sits at 19th position on the all-time list, amassing 9230 runs, including 30 centuries and 31 fifties, at an average of 46.85 in 210 innings across 123 matches.
When it comes to the overseas Test record between two of India’s batting greats, statistics show that Tendulkar holds a distinct statistical advantage away from home. 106 matches, Tendulkar amassed 8705 runs, including 29 centuries and 36 fifties, at an average of 54.74 in overseas conditions.
Meanwhile, Kohli has aggregated 4894 runs, including 16 centuries and 18 fifties, at an average of 41.12 in 68 overseas Test matches. In SENA nations, Sachin Tendulkar accumulated 5387 runs, including 17 centuries and 23 fifties, at an average of 51.3 in 63 matches. Virat Kohli, on the other hand, has amassed 3871 runs, including 12 centuries and 14 fifties, at an average of 41.54 in 48 matches.
Statistically, Tendulkar might be ahead of Kohli in overseas Tests, but AB de Villiers’ assessment highlights the latter’s greater impact in adapting to challenging conditions and raising the benchmark for Indian batters in SENA countries.
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