India’s recent success in Test cricket has once again brought attention to the batters who helped establish the team as a force outside home conditions. Following India’s 165-run win over Sri Lanka in Galle, former South Africa batter AB de Villiers reflected on the contributions of Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. While both enjoyed remarkable Test careers, de Villiers believes one of them took India’s overseas batting standards a step further.
AB de Villiers picks between Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli
Speaking on his YouTube channel, de Villiers first highlighted Tendulkar’s importance in showing that Indian batters could succeed in conditions traditionally considered difficult for players from the subcontinent. However, when comparing Tendulkar with Kohli, the former South African batter felt the latter went a step further.
“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,” de Villiers said.
He explained that Tendulkar was the first Indian batter to demonstrate that players from the subcontinent could thrive on bouncy and seaming pitches. According to de Villiers, Kohli then carried that trend forward and raised the bar. Tendulkar finished his legendary Test career with 15,921 runs in 200 matches before retiring in 2013. Kohli, meanwhile, retired from Test cricket in May 2025 after scoring 9,230 runs in 123 matches.
Sachin Tendulkar has better overseas Test numbers
Despite de Villiers’ assessment, Tendulkar’s numbers away from India remain superior to Kohli’s. The former India batter scored 8,705 of his 15,921 Test runs outside India, accounting for more than half of his career tally. He remains the highest run-scorer in overseas Test cricket. Kohli accumulated 4,774 runs in 66 Tests outside India.
The comparison also favours Tendulkar when their records are limited to SENA countries: South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia. Tendulkar scored 5,387 runs in 63 Tests at an average of 51.30, including 17 centuries and 23 fifties. Kohli, on the other hand, made 3,661 runs in 46 Tests in SENA conditions at an average of 42.08, with 12 centuries and 14 fifties.
De Villiers’ comments therefore appear to focus more on Kohli’s broader influence on Indian Test cricket rather than simply comparing their statistics. During Kohli’s tenure, India became a formidable side overseas and consistently expected strong performances in challenging conditions.
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AB de Villiers highlights KL Rahul’s overseas record
De Villiers also discussed KL Rahul and believes the Indian batter still has room to improve when playing away from home. The former South Africa batter believes Rahul needs to turn his starts into much bigger scores. According to him, scoring a century should not be the end goal once Rahul gets set, with innings of around 180 capable of making a greater impact. De Villiers also mentioned Devdutt Padikkal alongside Rahul as part of the new generation following the path established by Tendulkar and Kohli.
“KL is a guy with a sound technique and is a big asset in that Indian lineup. But he averages only 34 away from home. Because of that, there are quite a few players now like KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal, who have started to up that trend and follow in the footsteps of a Virat and a Sachin,” he said.
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