Sachin Tendulkar vs Virat Kohli – Is Chase Master Better Than God of Cricket?

Cricket, which is sometimes regarded as a religion in India, has produced a slew of heroes who have donned the national colors and engraved their names in the sport’s annals. Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli are two such giants who have won the hearts of millions. They have established standards that will endure the test of time. Virat Kohli’s road to equal Sachin Tendulkar’s record of most ODI hundreds took only 15 years, whereas Tendulkar’s ODI career lasted 22 years.

Jumping-off Point of their Glorious Career

Sachin Tendulkar

• The “Master Blaster,” burst onto the cricketing scene at the tender age of 16 when he made his Test debut for India in 1989. His entry into the sport at such a young age, combined with his precocious talent, immediately drew attention. He was a prodigy who showed a level of maturity and skill that was well beyond his years. As a young cricketer, Tendulkar was marked as the future of Indian cricket, and he lived up to those lofty expectations, eventually becoming one of the sport’s all-time greats.
• Sachin Tendulkar was admired for his traditional batting method. His beautiful stroke play, flawless balance, and ability to play both speed and spin with equal ease distinguished him as a real maestro. His backfoot cover drives, on-drives, and straight drives were all impressive. Tendulkar’s superb length judgment, paired with his footwork, enabled him to face the most difficult deliveries. Tendulkar’s approach made him versatile and dependable, whether on the bouncy wickets of Australia or the twisting tracks of India.

Virat Kohli

• Kohli’s path, on the other hand, was more of a progression. He made his Indian cricket team debut in 2008, and while he showed early potential, it took him some time to establish himself as a consistent and dominant force in international cricket. Kohli fully came into his own in the early 2010s, displaying his extraordinary skill and love for pursuing objectives in limited-overs cricket.
• Virat Kohli is known for his aggressive and modern batting style. He is a fierce competitor and plays with an intensity that is rarely matched. Kohli’s on-field demeanor and passion are evident in his shot selection and strike rate. He is known for his strong bottom hand, which allows him to play with powerful and aggressive intent. Kohli’s cover drives and flick shots are his signature moves, and his ability to rotate the strike consistently sets him apart.

Run Machines: Sachin Tendulkar vs Virat Kohli in ODI Cricket

Sachin Tendulkar has achieved 49 centuries in 452 one-day internationals innings, an average of one century every 9.22 innings, compared to an average of 5.65 innings for Kohli. When compared to averages in their respective times, their century-scoring frequency is comparable, despite the seeming significance of the difference. With 49 hundreds in 277 innings, or 5.65 innings per hundred, is Kohli’s record. Sachin Tendulkar had a two-decade-long career and played a total of 463 ODIs. He has the highest number of runs in this format, with a total of 18,426 runs at an impressive average of 44.83 and a striking rate of 86.23. 

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On April 24, 2008, Tendulkar celebrated his 35th birthday. At that point, his total runs scored were 16,361 in 417 matches, with an average of 44.33 and a strike rate of 85.48. This was somewhat less than his career average overall. It just goes to show how the batter continued to score runs right up until the end of his career. Tendulkar had 89 fifties to go along with 42 hundred by the age of 35, seven less than Kohli. He hadn’t yet won the World Cup in 2011.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli has played 289 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) since making his debut in the format in 2008. The 35-year-old has scored 13,626 runs with a 58.48 average and a strike rate of 93.55. The latter two are obviously greater than Tendulkar’s, yet both are perhaps indicators of how cricket has progressed.

On Sunday, November 5, Kohli added his 49th ODI century. He is a World Cup winner for India, having won the tournament alongside Tendulkar in 2011, and hopes to repeat the feat on home soil in World Cup 2023.

Sachin Tendulkar vs Virat Kohli: ODIs Stats & Records Comparison

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The Long-Format Showdown: Sachin Tendulkar vs Virat Kohli

Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli are two of the game’s greatest batting superstars ever. These two famous batters have crushed bowling assaults in their respective periods, leaving all mortals in the dust while showing their genius.

Both of these individuals serve as the foundation of their respective hitting lines. While Tendulkar carried the weight of a country on his back for a whopping 24 years, Kohli has been India’s talisman for more than a decade. When they are at their most exhilarating, both of these famous batters have the power to make even the finest bowling assaults look ordinary. 

At 200 test matches, Sachin Tendulkar has played the most in his illustrious career as an international cricket player. James Anderson, who has played in 183 matches, is the closest active player to Sachin’s number. However, even the England pacer may find it difficult to reach Sachin’s total.

On the other hand, Virat Kohli is still far from breaking Sachin’s record despite having an excellent batting record in the 111 test matches he has played in during his career. If he so chooses, Kohli may play elite cricket for at least four to five years given his high fitness standards and levels. However, it is unlikely that 89 test matches for India would be scheduled during that period, thus Sachin will be able to hold the record. 

Sachin Tendulkar vs Virat Kohli: Tests Stats & Records Comparison

Kohli’s advantage in chases

Kohli has 27 ODI hundreds, 23 of which have been victories. Tendulkar has 17 hundred when chasing, only three of which resulted in losses. Tendulkar did manage to hit 32 centuries against Kohli’s 22 when batting first.

The results of their centuries have changed as a result of India’s increased victory percentage during the past 15 years. When Tendulkar was in the XI, India won only 50.54% of the matches, compared to 61.59% when Virat Kohli was in the XI. As a result, just 33 of Tendulkar’s 49 hundred came in triumphs, whereas Kohli has 41 victories.

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What was the location of their centuries?

• Kohli has 23 out of 49 hundred in India, while Tendulkar has 20 at home. However, there is a disparity in the number of hundreds recorded away from home, with Kohli scoring 21 and Tendulkar only scoring 12 in his career. Kohli was unable to play outside of the first ten full-member nations because of a decline in the number of ODI competitions, especially at neutral venues.
• Two-thirds of his ODI matches have been in bilateral series, compared to roughly 40% for Tendulkar. In the nine nations that he has played in, Kohli has at least one ODI century. Conversely, Tendulkar played ODIs in sixteen different countries, hitting hundreds in twelve of them. 

Competing against the best

• With 44 of his hundreds coming against nine full-member nations, Tendulkar had hundreds against 11 different teams. He had five tons versus associate teams, one against Namibia and four against Kenya.
• Kohli, on the other hand, has never hit a century against an associate nation, having only played them six times in his career. Kohli’s 49 hundred have all come against the first nine full-member countries. With nine against Australia being his highest total against any side, Tendulkar has at least five hundreds against six different teams. In ODIs, Kohli has scored ten centuries against Sri Lanka, an ODI record. He also has five hundred or more versus six different nations.

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Did others perform well when they scored hundreds?

• During the game when Tendulkar was the lone centurion, he had 32 hundreds, which is 10 more than Kohli had with 22. There were only nine occasions in which an Indian batter scored a century in a match where Tendulkar also did, while Kohli had 13 occasions in which another member of his team did as well.
• While Kohli has had eight of these tons, Tendulkar scored a hundred nine times when no other Indian batter had even reached a fifty. However, Tendulkar had five completed innings compared to Kohli’s six. The two batsmen were tied at six hundred when India was bowled out.

Records and Achievements

Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar’s career is studded with records and milestones that are awe-inspiring.

• He holds the record for the highest run scorer in international cricket, amassing over 34,000 runs.
• He is the First person to score a double century in One Day Internationals.
• Tendulkar is the only player to score one hundred international centuries, a feat that is unlikely to be replicated anytime soon.
• Most Man of the Match (MoM) awards (62). Most Man of the Match awards in World Cup Matches (9)
• Most number of consecutive ODI matches. (He played 185 consecutive matches for India between 25 April 1990 to 24 April 1998.)
• He was the leading run-scorer in World Cup history until Kohli surpassed him in 2019.
• Sachin has played ODIs on 90 different grounds across the world, the most by any player.
• Sachin has scored 150+ 20 times in Test cricket.
• Sachin Tendulkar is the only player to have scored 5 Test centuries before the age of 20.
• Tendulkar’s consistency is evident in his 100 international centuries, 49 in ODIs, and 51 in Tests. These records reflect the sheer longevity and dominance he displayed over his illustrious career.

Tendulkar, despite his legendary status, had a somewhat mixed stint as India’s captain. While his individual performances remained consistently exceptional, his tenure as captain saw mixed results for the Indian team. Tendulkar led India in various periods but was unable to win a World Cup during his captaincy. His leadership style was more about leading by example, and he was not as vocal or demonstrative as some other leaders.

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli, while still actively playing, has already etched his name in the record books.

• Fastest to reach 8,000, 9,000, 10,000, and 11,000 runs in ODIs.
• Before Rohit Sharma broke it, Kohli had the record for the quickest century by an Indian in the ODIs. 
• Kohli has been consistently ranked as the world’s top ODI batsman. He has been at the forefront of India’s successful campaigns in limited-overs cricket.
• First Indian cricketer to score three successive centuries in ODIs.
• Virat Kohli scored his 49th ODI century in just 277 innings while Sachin Tendulkar took 452 innings to score his 49th ODI century.
• Six double-centuries as a captain in test matches.
• Only Indian cricketers to win the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy in successive years. (2017, 2018)
• Only batter to average 50 or above in all three formats simultaneously.

The Chase Master, in contrast, has been a more assertive and aggressive captain. His passion for the game and his ability to motivate his team have been evident in India’s successes under his captaincy. Kohli led India to their first-ever Test series victory in Australia and has been a driving force in the team’s success in limited-overs cricket. His approach to captaincy is characterized by his fierce determination and the expectation of high performance from his teammates.

– One notable difference between Tendulkar and Kohli is their test scores. While Tendulkar had a superb Test record of 51 hundred, Kohli, despite his outstanding ODI and T20 records, has been considerably less successful in the game’s longest format. This demonstrates how cricket’s dynamics are changing, with a greater emphasis on limited overs forms in the current period.

Sachin Tendulkar vs Virat Kohli: Who is better?

It’s not fair to compare Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli as both have left an indelible mark on Indian cricket, but their impact has been felt in different ways.

Tendulkar’s impact transcends generations. He inspired an entire generation of cricketers with his performances and longevity. He was a symbol of hope for aspiring young cricketers, a beacon of excellence, and a source of pride for the nation. His records and milestones became an integral part of Indian cricket’s history. His retirement marked the end of an era.

Kohli, on the other hand, represents the new face of Indian cricket. He has been a driving force in the team’s transition from the Tendulkar-Dravid-Laxman era to a more aggressive and result-oriented brand of cricket. Kohli’s intensity and work ethic have set new standards for fitness and fielding in the Indian team. He has been a leader in the rise of Indian fast bowlers, ushering in a new era of balanced and potent cricket.

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