Virat Kohli vs Sachin Tendulkar Batting Comparison

[Slifer]

Kohli just really needs to right his record vs wi (which he likely will) then afaic, his record will be complete. Ok he'll probably need to right his overseas record in a few places.

 

[Bolo]

Kohlis record is solid and improving, but it's unrealistic to think it could end up as well rounded as Tendulkars. No Pakistan will leave a hole. Two new teams plus Kohli playing fewer career games will mean poor series performances can't be smoothed over by good ones.

 

[Slifer]

Wait Kohlis never played against Pakistan??

 

[OverratedSanity]

Wait Kohlis never played against Pakistan??

Should be obvious since India and Pakistan have not played each other for over a decade.

 

[trundler]

Yasir Shah Vs Kohli would be gun

 

[Slifer]

Should be obvious since India and Pakistan have not played each other for over a decade.

Well obviously I dont follow sub continent cricket as much as u do.....

 

[Logan]

I default to Tendulkar, but I'm not sure this is right. There are plenty of middle order bats who make a case for being as good as Tendulkar. It's been decades since we have seen one close to Gavaskar, and almost none ever.

The 70s/80s were a tougher era for batting than 90s/00s. Gavaskar batted for a much weaker team. Gavaskar batted at a tougher position. He achieved greater success against the best team of his generation. There have been many successful middle order batsmen while no one has come remotely close to Gavaskar in being successful as an opener.

It would not be an exaggeration to say Gavaskar was better than Sachin in Tests.

 

[Bolo]

The 70s/80s were a tougher era for batting than 90s/00s. Gavaskar batted for a much weaker team. Gavaskar batted at a tougher position. He achieved greater success against the best team of his generation. There have been many successful middle order batsmen while no one has come remotely close to Gavaskar in being successful as an opener.

It would not be an exaggeration to say Gavaskar was better than Sachin in Tests.

Agreed, other than the fact that I think the 90s was tougher than the 70s. I think very, very highly of Sachin though. I'll just avoid the comparison by saying it's tough to compare a middle order bat to an opener.

 

[srbhkshk]

They had different roles , played mostly different bowlers and had different teams behind them so such a comparison in futile, for me I look at their batting and both were capable of playing swing , seam , bounce and spin with no particular weakness, Sachin however takes the cake in terms of being more capable of being aggressive while not losing anything in terms of defense and a longer career. IMO he had everything in terms of capability that Gavaskar had, but can't say the same about Gavaskar.

 

[trundler]

They had different roles , played mostly different bowlers and had different teams behind them so such a comparison in futile, for me I look at their batting and both were capable of playing swing , seam , bounce and spin with no particular weakness, Sachin however takes the cake in terms of being more capable of being aggressive while not losing anything in terms of defense and a longer career. IMO he had everything in terms of capability that Gavaskar had, but can't say the same about Gavaskar.

You could say it came down to their differing roles. An opener has to see off the new ball and tire out the bowlers. But yes, that is how Bradman put it, that he was an excellent technician but didn't take the initiative to attack enough whilst he picked Tendulkar in his XI.

 

[Logan]

Agreed, other than the fact that I think the 90s was tougher than the 70s. I think very, very highly of Sachin though. I'll just avoid the comparison by saying it's tough to compare a middle order bat to an opener.

I rate Sachin very highly. He is perhaps the second greatest batsman after Bradman. I am just saying Gavaskar is up there in the conversation as well. I think 90s was slightly tougher than the 70s while the 80s was tougher than 00s. That’s why I said overall Sunny batted in a tougher era.

You could say it came down to their differing roles. An opener has to see off the new ball and tire out the bowlers. But yes, that is how Bradman put it, that he was an excellent technician but didn't take the initiative to attack enough whilst he picked Tendulkar in his XI.

I think Gavaskar could have been more aggressive if he wanted. But he was the only good batsman in his team. That’s why he batted more cautiously. He was able to hit a century in 87 balls way back in 1987 in ODIs. Imran Khan once famously remarked “If we could get Gavaskar dismissed within the first one hour, we will finish the match within three days.” Granted, he could never be as aggressive as Sachin but he played in a defensive manner for the overall benefit of the team. Also, Sachin was inspired from Viv as a kid while Gavaskar grew up in a much different time when the job of the opener was to remove the sheen of the ball.

 

[harsh.ag]

I think Gavaskar could have been more aggressive if he wanted. But he was the only good batsman in his team. That’s why he batted more cautiously. He was able to hit a century in 87 balls way back in 1987 in ODIs. Imran Khan once famously remarked “If we could get Gavaskar dismissed within the first one hour, we will finish the match within three days.” Granted, he could never be as aggressive as Sachin but he played in a defensive manner for the overall benefit of the team. Also, Sachin was inspired from Viv as a kid while Gavaskar grew up in a much different time when the job of the opener was to remove the sheen of the ball.

Nah, they were just different people. Sachin was the only good batsman in the team for a while as well. They just dealt with it differently. And obviously Sachin's way was more fun than Sunny's.

 

[Engle]

Talent, Technique, Temperament and Timing. The batsmen's characteristics and creed.

Sunny, more than anything had to have steel-minded Temperament to stand up to the speedsters of the 70's and 80's

Sachin, the Technique to deal with the myriad of questions posed by a diaspora of deliveries

Which is more important, Temperament or Technique ? I'm not saying. There's no wright or wrong answer, I suppose. Just a chunk to chew over.

 

[_00_deathscar]

Talent, Technique, Temperament and Timing. The batsmen's characteristics and creed.

Sunny, more than anything had to have steel-minded Temperament to stand up to the speedsters of the 70's and 80's

Sachin, the Technique to deal with the myriad of questions posed by a diaspora of deliveries

Which is more important, Temperament or Technique ? I'm not saying. There's no wright or wrong answer, I suppose. Just a chunk to chew over.

True, but Sachin also had incredible temperament (you have to, to get to the level he did - also see his 241 vs Australia). He has an entirely different player from the early/mid 2000 onwards, infact showing incredible temperament to curb what was clearly his originally natural game.

 

[R!TTER]

You could say it came down to their differing roles. An opener has to see off the new ball and tire out the bowlers. But yes, that is how Bradman put it, that he was an excellent technician but didn't take the initiative to attack enough whilst he picked Tendulkar in his XI.

Did he pick himself at number 3

 

[trundler]

Did he pick himself at number 3

Yes, he was #3. Tendulkar was #4.