The debate over Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli remains one of the most enduring discussions in Indian cricket. While Tendulkar’s extraordinary longevity and achievements across formats have cemented his legacy, Kohli has transformed modern ODI batting with his consistency, chase record and remarkable scoring rate. With Kohli recently becoming the fastest batter to reach 15,000 ODI runs, the comparison between the two legends has gained further attention.
Kohli reached the milestone in 303 innings, 74 fewer than Tendulkar. However, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes that comparing players from different generations requires greater consideration of the conditions in which they played.
Ravichandran Ashwin picks his choice between Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar
Ashwin made it clear that he would still choose Tendulkar when asked to pick between the two batting greats. The former India spinner pointed towards both personal admiration and the circumstances surrounding Tendulkar’s career as key reasons behind his choice.
“Every time I’ll stick my neck out and say Sachin Tendulkar is ahead on two counts. First, I’m a big fan. And how he played, the circumstances in his career, and Indian cricket’s hope,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
At the same time, Ashwin was careful not to undermine Kohli’s achievements. He stressed that Kohli’s performances should be viewed in the context of his own generation and insisted that the former India captain would have been a champion player in any era.
“If Virat Kohli in any generation batted at number 3 for India, he would have been a champion player; I have no doubts,” Ashwin added.
Different eras, different ODI challenges
Ashwin also highlighted how significantly ODI cricket has changed since Tendulkar’s playing days. During Tendulkar’s era, one white ball was used throughout the entire 50-over innings. As a result, the ball could become significantly older and discoloured during the latter stages of a daytime match, creating different challenges for batters.
Using India’s recent match against the West Indies as an example, Ashwin pointed out how the ball can become old during the innings.
“Even yesterday, in the first innings, when West Indies were batting, after 34 overs, one ball had to be used. The ball became completely old in daylight,” Ashwin observed.
Tendulkar also played a significant portion of his ODI cricket under fielding restrictions that differed from today’s regulations. For Ashwin, these changes make direct statistical comparisons between players from separate generations difficult. Kohli, meanwhile, has established extraordinary numbers in the modern ODI era. His average has remained close to 60 across more than 300 matches, while his record in run chases has been particularly impressive.
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Kohli could still change Ashwin’s verdict
Despite favouring Tendulkar at present, Ashwin believes there is one achievement that could bring the two legends onto the same level in his assessment: Kohli surpassing Tendulkar’s record of 100 international centuries. Ashwin acknowledged that such a feat remains possible and said he would have enormous respect for Kohli if he manages to accomplish it. He then offered a clear assessment of how his view would change if Kohli reached the landmark.
“If he does it—I will take my hat off, and it will be a remarkable achievement. If he does that, ask the same question about Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, and I will say both of them are on the same level without a shadow of a doubt,” explained th former India spin wizard.
With Kohli now focused exclusively on ODI cricket following his Test and T20I retirements, his remaining career could yet add another chapter to the debate.
Also READ: Rohit Sharma explains why he’s a big fan of Virat Kohli’s Test captaincy
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