Virat Kohli certainly qualifies as the finest white-ball batter of all time, but when it comes to Test cricket, Sachin Tendulkar is undoubtedly India’s greatest. To suggest otherwise is a rather outrageous take, especially given how Kohli struggled in Tests during the last five years of his career. A growing drought of centuries, a dipping average, and a familiar pattern of dismissals tarnished Kohli’s legacy, which, until 2020, had been on an untouchable trajectory. It’s understandable why AB de Villiers feels the way he does, calling Kohli the stronger overseas Test batter. But at the end of the day, as great as Kohli was, Tendulkar was simply better, and by some distance.
De Villiers and Kohli share a wonderful bond. That explains the remark. Then again, Tendulkar’s record alone proves de Villiers wrong. With 8,705 runs from 106 Tests at an average of 54.7, including 29 centuries, Sachin is India’s most prolific overseas Test batter. Kohli, with 4,894 runs from 68 Tests, trails him by nearly 4,000 runs despite playing almost 40 fewer games. Kohli enjoyed a period of dominance between 2014 and 2019, but Tendulkar was consistently exceptional, especially in the SENA nations, throughout much of his 24-year, storied career.
Tendulkar miles ahead of Kohli
The similarities are there. Tendulkar and Kohli each scored a century on their maiden tours of Australia. But the impact of those innings was poles apart. Tendulkar’s 148 in Sydney and 114 at Perth are considered two of the most impactful innings even today, 35 years later, whereas Kohli’s 116 in Adelaide in 2011 was a saving grace in an otherwise 4-0 whitewash, as he finished the series as India’s lone century-maker. Against England, Tendulkar smashed a match-saving hundred at Old Trafford in Manchester, whereas Kohli’s struggles were evident. With 134 runs from 10 innings, Kohli often refers to the 2014 tour as the most nightmarish series of his career.
In almost every touring nation, Tendulkar boasts a superior Test record compared to Kohli. That he’s played a lot longer is a key factor, but the trivia which often escapes the mind is Tendulkar’s second coming. At 36, Tendulkar’s career witnessed a renaissance, with the Master Blaster scoring 2951 runs, eight centuries, 14 fifties from 29 Tests in the last four years of his career. On the contrary, between 2020 and 2025, Kohli managed 1,912 runs in 36 Tests. Do the math.
Kohli’s legacy untouched, but Tendulkar in a league of his own
Kohli has obviously touched several Test highs that Tendulkar didn’t: four centuries in a single series Down Under in the 2014/15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, winning a Test series as captain in Australia, two blockbuster years in Test cricket – 1,215 runs in 2016 and another 1,322 in 2018, and twice scored 650-plus runs in a single series. But Tendulkar’s aura adds so much more. The fact that some of Tendulkar’s Test innings have become immortal is another point in his favour. The 136 in Chennai. The unbeaten 241 at the SCG after he had struggled through the entire series. And who can forget 2010? At 37, Tendulkar bludgeoned 1,500-plus runs in 14 Tests, including seven centuries, capping off his best season in the format in the 21st year of his India career.
Consider this. In 2010 alone, he scored 213 runs from two Tests against South Africa, 390 from three Tests in Sri Lanka and 403 from two Tests against Australia. Then, once 2011 kicked in, Tendulkar picked up exactly where he had left off, smashing 326 runs in three Tests in South Africa, where he also completed his 50th and 51st Test centuries. Meanwhile, Kohli is a retired Test cricketer at the same age. That settles the debate.
Kohli’s Test legacy is defined as much by his captaincy as his batting. Kohli at his peak was a thing to marvel at, a treat for sore eyes and a sight to behold. He erased doubts in 2018, hammering three centuries en route to plundering 697 runs against England, winning plaudits from the opposition, with former Australia coach Justin Langer calling him the greatest he had ever seen. He also scored four double centuries in a calendar year and won the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year award in 2018. These are achievements that cement his place among the giants of Indian batting. In ODIs and T20Is, there’s no comparison. Kohli is the greatest. But the one format where de Villiers shouldn’t have placed Kohli above Tendulkar is Tests, where Sachin’s record remains an Indian benchmark promising to stand the test of time.
