Rohit Sharma is a better batsman than Virat Kohli in ODIs and T20Is, claims Sandeep Patil

What's the story?

Impressed by Rohit Sharma's splendid performances in the recently completed white-ball matches against Sri Lanka, former Indian team batsman and chief selector Sandeep Patil believes that the opener is currently a better batsman than skipper Virat Kohli in both ODIs and T20Is.

"Virat Kohli fans might not like it but I have to say Rohit Sharma is currently the better batsman. Virat is definitely a great batsman, no doubt about it. He is India’s best Test batsman but when it comes to limited overs cricket, Rohit is ahead of him", Patil told ABP News.

Patil, who was a vital cog in India's 1983 World Cup winning squad, added, "I’m sure Virat’s going to come back from the break and score lots of runs in South Africa. But when we talk about limited-overs cricket this year, Rohit has been unbelievable. People may say he has played more matches against Sri Lanka but so has Virat. Whether he is playing only as a batsman or as captain, Rohit has proved he is best at the moment."

The background

After regular captain Kohli was given a much needed break, Rohit stepped in to lead India during the 3-match ODI and 3-match T20I series against Sri Lanka.

Revelling at the prospect of leading his country for the first time in his career, the elegant right-hander celebrate the elevation by hammering his third ODI double century and registered his second T20I ton.

The heart of the matter

With 1460 runs from 26 matches, Kohli has topped the batting charts in ODIs in 2017. His average of 76.84 is also the best by any batsman in this year. Having amassed 1293 runs from 21 ODIs at an average of 71.83, Rohit comes a close second. Both batsmen smashed six centuries each in the calendar year.

In the shortest format of the game, Kohli is joint-fifth among the leading run-scorers in 2017. He accumulated 299 runs from ten T20Is at an average of 37.37 and strike-rate of 152.55 with a couple of half-centuries. Meanwhile, Rohit registered 283 runs from nine T20Is at an average of 31.44 and strike-rate of 171.51 including a career best score of 118.

What's next?

India are set to embark on a gruelling tour of South Africa. Comprising 3 Tests, 6 ODIs and 3 T20Is, they will begin 2018 with an eagerly awaited Test match against the Proteas at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town on January 5.

Author's take

While Rohit's recent form certainly deserves commendation, Patil's assessment does not appear to be right. Time and again, Kohli has shown that he is on a different level to other premier batsmen in the limited-overs formats. Nevertheless, India will need both batsmen to be at their very best during their upcoming trip to South Africa.