Virat Kohli Was Better Than Sachin Tendulkar in Overseas Tests: AB de Villiers
e Villiers said Sachin Tendulkar was the first Indian batter to set the benchmark in overseas conditions, but Kohli raised it to a whole new level
Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers claimed that Virat Kohli was better than Sachin Tendulkar in overseas Test conditions.
His comments came after India’s 165-run win over Sri Lanka in the first Test at Galle on Wednesday. De Villiers said Sachin Tendulkar was the first Indian batter to set the benchmark in overseas conditions, but Kohli raised it to a whole new level.
“I think of someone like Sachin Tendulkar way back, who started that trend for India. Not as strong as someone like Virat Kohli, perhaps, who was even better. But, I think Sachin was the first guy to show that as a subcontinent batter, you can do well in bouncy and seaming conditions as well. Virat took that forward and raised the bar,” De Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
Currently, Sachin Tendulkar is the highest run-scorer in Test cricket, with 15,921 runs in 200 matches, while Virat Kohli is 19th on the all-time list with 9,230 runs in 123 Tests. Kohli retired from Test cricket in 2025.
However, the statistics give Tendulkar the edge over Kohli in overseas Tests. Tendulkar scored 8,705 runs in 106 away Tests at an average of 54.74. Kohli, meanwhile, scored 4,774 runs in 66 away Tests at an average of 41.51.
Tendulkar also holds the advantage in Tests in SENA countries — South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia. He scored 5,387 runs in 63 Tests in those countries at an average of 51.30. Kohli, meanwhile, scored 3,781 runs in 48 Tests at an average of 41.54.
De Villiers also said Indian batters KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal have followed the trend set by Indian greats Tendulkar and Kohli.
“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.
