Michael Vaughan picks between Virat Kohli and Joe Root in 'This or That' challenge

England v India - Second LV= Insurance Test Match: Day Two - Source: Getty
Joe Root and Virat Kohli have taken batting to incredible heights over the past decade [Credit: Getty]

Former England captain Michael Vaughan ranked batting legend Joe Root against some of the latter's contemporaries in a 'This or That' challenge (via Stick to Cricket Instagram handle). The exercise ultimately ended with Vaughan having to pick between Root and Indian superstar Virat Kohli.

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Vaughan had no hesitation picking Root over the initial contenders, Temba Bavuma, Travis Head, Babar Azam, Rachin Ravindra, and Cameron Green. When it came to choosing between Root and Kane Williamson, the former England skipper had a brief moment of pause before going with his fellow Englishman.

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Vaughan further picked Root with no hesitation over Marnus Labuschagne and Aiden Markram. However, the biggest battle was between Root and Australia's Steve Smith, with Vaughan almost reluctantly going with the former.

Root's final round was against King Kohli and Vaughan, without seemingly any doubt, picked England's all-time leading run-scorer.

Joe Root vs Virat Kohli - Statistical comparison

Joe Root and Virat Kohli have inarguably been two of the greatest batters of this generation across formats. Yet, when it comes to the red-ball format, the former England captain holds a considerable edge over the recently retired Indian star.

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Root is second all-time among run-scorers in Tests with 13,543 runs at an excellent average of 51.29. He is also fourth all-time in Test centuries with 39. Meanwhile, Kohli fell off towards the end of his Test career, finishing with 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, including 30 centuries.

However, the story is the polar opposite in the white-ball formats, with Kohli enjoying a massive upper hand. The champion batter is third all-time in ODI scoring with 14,181 runs at a stunning average of 57.88 and a strike rate of 93.34. Virat Kohli's 51 ODI centuries are the most by a batter in the format.

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On the other hand, Joe Root has scored only 7,301 runs at an average of 49.33 and a strike rate of 87.76, including 19 centuries, in ODIs.

Kohli is also the third leading run-scorer in T20Is with 4,188 runs at an average of 48.69 and a strike rate of 137.04. Root is yet to reach the 1,000-run mark in T20Is with 893 runs at an average of 35.72 and a strike rate of 126.30.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran
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