Virat Kohli: The Sachin Tendulkar of this decade?

Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar

A lot has been said over Virat Kohli being a legend in the making, but what fans forget sometimes is the consistency that truly defines legends of the game. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar  hit his first International One day century in his 79th game against the Aussies in Colombo, 5 years after he made his debut in the international arena.

That might seem pretty ordinary if you just look at the numbers, but what made him special was his consistency in scoring the big runs after that, separating him from the rest. We might never see a player of his stature again, we might never call screaming Sachin Sachin again, but what we can safely bank on is a player who has everything in him to stand apart from the rest in today’s cricketing world.

Virat Kohli has the numbers going for him. After a rather cold start to his international career in 2008, Virat has made the big leaps in the world arena to compete with the best in the game. The world’s best ODI batsman according to the latest ICC rankings has taken all the right steps in his 6 year long career.

Already the fastest to reach 19 ODI hundred’s, taking 55 lesser innings than the previous fastes (Chris Gayle), Kohli is also the fastest to reach 5000 ODI runs equalling Viv Richards in this rare feat. Pakistan legend Zaheer Abbas recently joined the elite list of former cricketers who praised Kohli for his consistent performance, saying that the right hander is destined for greatness and will soon break some immortal records in world cricket.

What separated Sachin from the rest in the race to become the greatest ever is his sheer longevity in all formats of the game. It made him special and the rest is history. If we extrapolate Kohli’s current record, some of Sachin’s record are clearly in his line of fire. Kohli has an amazing record of 19 centuries from just about 126 innings, which roughly translates into a century per 7 innings. It will take him another 198 innings at the current rate to equal Sachin’s record of 49 centuries.

At the current rate of around 21 innings per year, it will take him around 10 years to achieve this feat. Virat Kohli will be 35, 10 years from now. Again, it’s longevity that made Sachin a legend, and it’s going to be longevity that will decide whether Kohli makes it into the big league. Virat also has the highest conversion rate of 50s into 100s , among batsmen who have scored more than 2000 runs.

He has scored 30 half centuries with 19 centuries, which takes his conversion rate to the highest among his peers. Having said all this, with the help of extrapolation, it’s easy to dream about Kohli surpassing his hero’s achievements, but what Tendulkar alone could do during his era, was the way he bounced back from injuries and lean patches throughout his 25 year long career.

Virat Kohli is almost always the man to turn to when Dhoni decided to hang up his boots, and it needs to be seen how he will handle the extra responsibility of captaincy along with his batting. Virat Kohli has fortunately been never bothered by any lean patches in his career yet, and it needs to be seen how he handles it. It is adversity that shapes virtues, and only time will tell whether his aggression and attitude towards the game stands the test.

In the history of the ODI game, almost double the number of centuries have been scored in the first innings as compared to the second. Virat Kohl (13)  is  next to Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (17)  when it comes to the most number of centuries while chasing, of which 12 have been for a winning cause.

Virat shares his tally of 19 ODI centuries with a legend of the game, Brian Charles Lara. Kohli alomst averages double his first innings average, and thrives when a target is set by the opposition. India’s recent trend of chasing down big targets are all thanks to Virat Kohli’s exceptional pressure handling skills. He is a batsman who thrives under pressure, and is what Sachin Tendulkar was for first innings.

This is the comparison of both Sachin and Virat at the age of 25.

Player	Span	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	0
SR Tendulkar (India)	1989-1999	211	204	20	7801	143	42.39	9002	86.65	21	43	9
V Kohli (India)	2008-2014	134	126	18	5634	183	52.16	6269	89.87	19	30	9

 

Both of them have almost similar records, but what makes Virat destined for greatness is the number of innings that took him to achieve the feat. With a difference of 78 innings between them Virat is way ahead of the master blaster. By the age of 25, Sachin had played nearly 211 matches, while Virat has played only 134. It needs to be seen whether the pressure of a billion people and the number of games that’s been played across all formats will take a toll on Virat or not.

It’s not everyday that a legend is born, and it”s not everyday that legends pave way for future ones. Virat has proved his worth in Test cricket also, with his first international Test century coming against the Australians in Adelaide. Virat was the only Indian to make a century in that forgettable tour down under in 2012. His 116 reminded many of Sachin’s 114 on a bouncy Perth wicket, during his first tour to Australia.

Apart from the numbers, there’s a lot more to Virat Kohli, which will take him down the path less trodden in international cricket. Though Virat Kohli can never be what Sachin was for a cricket crazy nation, let’s pray that he carries on  playing with utmost respect and passion to the game that we follow patriotically.