Sachin Tendulkar vs Virat Kohli: Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar are the two greatest Indian batters of their generation who exhibited stunning performances in tests, especially on Australian soil, and making a comparison would be a daunting task due to their unique records.
The Indian cricket team is set on a mission to accomplish a massive victory in the ongoing 5-match test series of the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Now, the entire focus will be on Virat Kohli as he is required to accomplish a few milestones to surpass Sachin Tendulkar’s lifetime record in Australia.
Kohli —The King of Cricket, and Sachin—The Master Blaster, tally with six test centuries on Australian grounds. Despite going through the lean patches of his test career, Kohli is expected to create a sensation in Australia based on his previous records.
You would be surprised to know that Tendulkar’s final tour to Australia was indeed Virat’s first in his test cricket career.
Let’s find out the important records Virat Kohli can break to create a sensation and prove his superiority over Sachin Tendullkar’s records in Australia.
4 Important Records Virat Kohli Can Achieve in the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25
By achieving these records, Virat Kohli can prove himself as the greatest batsman in Australia when compared to Sachin Tendulkar:
1. Most Test Centuries in Australia:
With six centuries, Virat Kohli needs to add another to become the top Indian batsman with the most centuries (7 hundred) in test cricket in Australia. Furthermore, if the right-handed batter succeeds in scoring four more centuries out of the five tests, he will accomplish the most hundreds (10 centuries) as a visiting batter in Australia by surpassing former England batsman Jack Hobbs (9 centuries).
2. First Indian Batsman to score 3,500 runs in Australia:
Virat Kohli scored 3,426 runs across all formats in Australia and by adding another 74 runs, he would become the first Indian batsman to score 3,500 runs. Also, he would be the third international player after Desmond Haynes and Sir Vivian Richards.
3. Third-Highest Run Scorer in International Cricket:
Having scored 27,134 runs in international cricket, Virat Kohli requires another 350 runs to overtake former Australian captain Ricky Ponting’s tally of 27,483 runs to become the third-highest run scorer across all formats.
4. Leading Indian Test Run Scorer in Australia:
Virat Kohli with 1,352 runs in 13 matches, requires an additional 458 runs to out beat Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of 1,809 runs in 20 matches to become the top Indian batsman with most test runs in Australia.
Sachin Tendulkar vs Virat Kohli Centuries in Australia
Since Virat Kohli’s test debut in 2011, he managed to score a century in all three seasons of his Australian tour. In contrast, Sachin Tendulkar missed out on a century on his last tour of Australia in the 2011-12 season as he managed to accumulate the best score of 80 runs in Sydney.
Let’s make a comparison of six test centuries scored by Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli at four different venues in Australia— Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, and Adelaide:
Sachin Tendulkar:
The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) has been a favorite spot for Sachin Tendulkar where he scored three centuries by remaining not out. Unfortunately, India couldn’t win any of the test matches in Australia despite Sachin Tendulkar’s brilliant contributions which included three losses and three draws.
These are the best scores of Sachin Tendulkar at these four venues:
| Venue | Season | Runs Scored | Balls Faced | Boundaries | Match Outcome |
| Sydney | 1991-92 | 148 runs (not out) | 213 balls | 14 Fours | Draw |
| 2003-04 | 241 runs (not out) | 436 balls | 33 Fours | Draw | |
| 2007-08 | 154 runs (not out) | 243 balls | 14 Fours and 1 six | India Lost by 122 runs | |
| Perth | 1991-92 | 114 runs | 161 balls | 16 Fours | India Lost by 300 runs |
| Melbourne | 1999-2000 | 116 runs | 191 balls | 9 Fours and 1 six | India Lost by 180 runs |
| Adelaide | 2007-08 | 153 runs | 205 balls | 13 Fours and 3 Sixes | Draw |
Virat Kohli:
If Sydney was Sachin’s favorite spot, then Adelaide is considered as the fortunate venue for Virat Kohli where he scored two centuries and a half century out of 4 matches played.
Similar to Tendulkar, Kohli scored 6 centuries in Australia, but India wasn’t able to secure a single victory by recording 4 losses and 2 draws.
The following stats highlight the fact that Virat Kohli scored 4 out 6 centuries in Australia only in a single season of BGT 2014-15:
| Venue | Season | Runs Scored | Balls Faced | Boundaries | Match Outcome |
| Adelaide | 2011-12 | 116 runs | 213 balls | 11 Fours and 1 six | India Lost by 298 Runs |
| 2014-15 | 115 runs | 184 balls | 12 Fours | India Lost by 48 Runs | |
| 141 runs | 175 balls | 16 Fours and 1 Six | |||
| Melbourne | 2014-15 | 169 runs (not out) | 272 balls | 18 Fours | Draw |
| Sydney | 147 runs | 230 balls | 20 Fours | Draw | |
| Perth | 2018 | 123 runs | 257 balls | 13 Fours and 1 six | India Lost by 146 Runs |
↻ 5 Most Impressive Test Scores of Virat Kohli on Australian Soil
Conclusive Thoughts: Sachin Tendulkar vs Virat Kohli
Before making an in-depth comparison between these two batting legends, you need to remember that Kohli hasn’t faced the deliveries of these formidable bowlers who were challenging during Sachin Tendulkar’s era:
- Craig McDermott
- Mike Whitney
- Glenn McGrath
- Brett Lee
- Shane Warne
- Stuart MacGill
Most importantly, during Sachin’s cricketing days, the DRS (Decision Review System) wasn’t introduced and batsmen didn’t have the opportunity to overturn the umpire’s decision. Whereas, in the modern era, Kohli has survived facing several dismissals by making use of DRS to appeal the umpire’s inaccurate decisions and went on to score huge runs for his team.
Overall, Virat Kohli has a higher chance of surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s records in the ongoing 5-match test series of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
