Who is the king of ODI cricket: Sachin Tendulkar or Virat Kohli?
Calling someone the greatest in any sport is quite subjective. It is very difficult to objectively call anyone the best of all time, mainly because there are several grounds on which one can judge a player.
However, cricket fans are keen about comparisons. And what a lot of people debate these days is - who is the greatest ODI batsman of all time: Sachin Tendulkar or Virat Kohli?
Kohli must be doing something absolutely remarkable to be included in the same sentence as the great Tendulkar, even as his career is still a long way from being over. Even without comparisons, Indians should feel blessed to have such phenomenal players representing the country.
Sachin Versus Kohli after 224 ODIs
Virat Kohli
Runs: 10,686*, Average: 60.03, Strike Rate: 92.61, Hundreds/Fifties: 40/49
Sachin Tendulkar:
Runs: 8350, Average: 42.6, Strike Rate: 86.45, Hundreds/Fifties: 23/44
Clearly, Kohli is winning the statistical battle in ODIs at this stage. However, Tendulkar scored a much greater proportion of the total runs scored by India than Kohli.
There have been times when both Tendulkar and Kohli have single-handedly won the game for their teams. Both of them also had the luxury of playing alongside some great ODI players who provided constant support to them. However, when their teams needed something special from them, they looked for no one else for support.
Tendulkar also had an amazing conversion rate from the 50s to 100s, which was far better than most batsmen in his era. But Kohli has taken it to an absolutely different level.
To examine the match-winning impact of these two, we must consider the number of man-of-the-match awards won by each of them. They have however, won roughly the same number of man-of-the-match awards after 224 ODIs.
Now, from a period between 1989-1999, the top six batters of all teams combined scored just about 288 centuries. However, in the period between 2008 and 2018, the top six batters of all teams combined scored 728 centuries. Clearly, modern-day bowling attacks don't have the venom of Mcgrath, Warne, Walsh, Wasim or Pollock.
However, bowling strike rates have rather improved in Kohli's era from Tendulkar's era. But it's the economy that has worsened in the modern era which shows that the batsmen have dominated.
Also, the pitches have been becoming a lot flatter all around the world. Hundred-making has indeed become easier in the modern era.
Who is the king of Chasing?
Tendulkar Average: 42.33, Strike Rate: 88.44
Kohli Average: 68.44, Strike Rate: 94.51
Well, as far as chasing is concerned, Kohli appears to be better. He's redefined the art of chasing in one day cricket. Kohli has an average of close to 96 and a mind-boggling 21 centuries in successful run-chases. He has remained not-out in 28 out of 166 chases. Clearly, he wins you matches like no one else when it comes to chasing down scores.
Tendulkar's average of 42 shows that he remained not-out on very few occasions. So, he did not win the match for India on most occasions. However, he redefined the art of aggressive batting in that era. An impressive strike rate would help him to lay a match-winning platform for others to capitalise on.
However, we have seen that on several occasions that the Indian team of the past was a great batting unit but not quite a great chasing unit. They often would panic when the main batsmen would get out. The 1996 World Cup semi final against Sri Lanka is a good example. In modern Team India however, we have several sensational chasers apart from Kohli, like Dhoni, Rohit etc.
Moreover, during the old days, chasing was not always the preferred option. Teams had the belief that runs on the board was key. However, teams think in a different manner these days.
In a nutshell, Kohli wins the battle as far as chasing is concerned.
The art of aggressive batting
Tendulkar's strike rate of 86.41 after 224 ODI's is absolutely remarkable because the average strike rate in that era was just 71.4. This shows that he was a nightmare for bowlers. He scored a lot of runs and scored them at a fair clip. He mastered the art of aggressive batting and took the game away from the opposition with his impressive stroke-play.
Kohli does have a strike rate of over 92 but the average strike rate is his era is also 85.77. No doubt, teams look to play an aggressive brand of cricket modern era and it has translated into Kohli's game as well.
What makes Kohli different from the rest is his fitness. No one is as fit as Kohli. Clearly, the old era players did not focus on fitness as much as the modern era players do. Kohli runs immensely hard between the wickets and hardly hits the ball in the air. He really works hard to earn his runs and makes sure that he gives no chance to the opposition to get him out.
Kohli has struck just 115 sixes while Tendulkar had a total of 195 sixes. It's not that Kohli can't hit them but he is not willing to take the unnecessary risk unless it's absolutely necessary. He has other ways of scoring runs.
Batting in big tournaments
Kohli averages 55.8 in World Cups and Champions Trophy. He has a couple of hundreds and six half-centuries in 29 innings. Tendulkar, on the other hand, scored over 2,700 runs at an average of 52.4 with 7 centuries and 16 half-centuries.
Clearly, Tendulkar has played in a lot more World Cups than Kohli has. However, whenever he played, he won a lot of accolades. He was the leading run-scorer in both the 1996 and 2003 Cricket World Cup and also was India's highest run-scorer in the 2011 World Cup. So, undoubtedly, he is a master of ICC tournaments.
Kohli has played a few good innings in 2011 and 2015 World Cups and also the 2013 and 2017 Champions Trophy. However, he is yet to dominate fifty-overs ICC Tournaments as Tendulkar did.
Conclusion
This is only a mere comparison and it will always be difficult to choose one great batter over another.
While Tendulkar carried the hopes of billions of Indians whenever he came out to out, Kohli has the added responsibility of being the captain. While Kohli has redefined chasing, Tendulkar has dominated ICC tournaments. Both of them have achieved the extraordinary and both of them are the real of gems of not only Indian but also world cricket.