‘Raised the bar’: AB de Villiers picks Kohli over Tendulkar in Test debate
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Raised the bar’: AB de Villiers picks Kohli over Tendulkar in Test debate")
AB de Villiers picks Kohli over Tendulkar in Test debate Photograph: (AFP)
AB de Villiers said Sachin Tendulkar set the benchmark for India overseas, but Virat Kohli took it to another level.
South Africa batting great AB de Villiers said former India captain Virat Kohli took Indian batting to a higher level in overseas conditions and inspired other players to perform better outside the country.
De Villiers explained that Sachin Tendulkar was the first Indian batter to set the standard abroad, but Kohli pushed it even further. Tendulkar is the leading run-scorer in Test cricket with 15,921 runs and 51 centuries.
While, Kohli, who retired from Test cricket in 2025, ended his career with 9,230 runs in 123 Tests at an average of 46.85.
“I think of someone like Sachin Tendulkar way back, who started that trend for India. Yet, he wasn’t as strong as someone like Virat Kohli, who was even better. But Sachin was the first guy to show that as a subcontinent batter, you can do well in bouncy and seaming conditions. Virat took that forward and raised the bar,” said de Villiers on his YouTube channel.
“Because of that, there are quite a few players now like [KL] Rahul and Padikkal, who have started to up that trend and follow in the footsteps of a Virat and a Sachin.”
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De Villiers, who scored 8,765 runs in 114 Tests at an average of over 50, also spoke about KL Rahul’s performances overseas and praised his technique but said the opener needs to convert his starts into bigger scores away from home.
“KL is a guy with a sound technique and is a big asset in that Indian lineup. But he averages only 34 away from home. So you’ll expect more and that is one area where he has to work on. He has to get bigger scores once he gets in and not just get a 100 but make it a 180 because that first-ball duck and getting out to the newish ball is always around the corner. So for him, the name of the game will be to make the big scores even bigger,” said de Villiers.
The 34-year-old, Rahul, scored a useful 81 for India in the Galle Test against Sri Lanka this week, while Devdutt Padikkal hit his maiden Test century at No. 3 as India went on to win the match by 165 runs.
