Stats: Virat Kohli or Sachin Tendulkar - Who is India's greatest in Tests?

The way Virat Kohli has evolved as a batsman, he is being touted as the next best thing that has happened to Indian cricket after Sachin Tendulkar. Some people have started comparing him to Sachin Tendulkar and some have gone on to the extent of saying that he might end up breaking some of Sachin Tendulkar's batting records.

Nobody can deny the greatness of both these batsmen, their record is proof of their greatness. If Sachin had an impeccable technique then Kohli has an attitude and hunger to die for. Both these batsmen are special in their own ways, but comparisons are bound to happen.

Let's take a look at the stats of these two batsmen to seek an answer to these comparisons:

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#1 Test matches taken per hundred

Kohli's rate of scoring hundreds is certainly rapid

To be a good Test batsman one should know the art of scoring hundreds as it is imperative for an individual to score big to take his team to a respectable total.

Sachin scored 51 Test hundreds from 200 Test matches which implies that he scored a hundred every 3.92 Test matches.

Virat Kohli has scored 24 Test hundreds from 73 Test matches which implies that he has scored a hundred every 3.04 Test matches.

At this point in his career, Virat Kohli is certainly leading Sachin on this parameter, but, it remains to be seen- whether he is able to maintain this speed of scoring hundreds till the end of his career.

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#2 The ratio of away Test hundreds to total hundreds

Sachin scored runs all over the world with supreme ease

A good batsman should have the ability to score runs in every condition. Most batsmen are comfortable in their native conditions. To separate great batsmen from good batsmen, it is imperative to look at their away batting record.

The ratio of away Test hundreds to total hundreds can tell you which of these batsmen was better in alien conditions. Higher the ratio better the performance.

Sachin scored 29 out of his 51 test hundreds away from home, which implies a ratio of 0.56. Kohli has scored 13 of his 24 test hundreds away from home, which implies a ratio of 0.54.

At this juncture, Sachin is better than Kohli on this parameter.

#3 Batting average

Kohli has amazing consistency

To measure the consistency of a batsman one should look at the batting average. It is not easy to maintain a healthy batting average over a long period of time.

Sachin ended his career with a batting average of 53.78 while Kohli at present has a batting average of 54.57.

Kohli is marginally ahead of Sachin on this metric, having said that, Kohli still has a long way to go before his career ends.

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#4 Fourth inning hundreds

The fourth inning of a Test is often the most difficult time to bat in a Test match. It can test the character of the best of the batsmen.Sachin went out to play 60 times in fourth innings in a test match and he scored three centuries in those 60 innings. This translates into 20 innings per hundred.

Kohli has played 22 times in fourth innings while scoring two centuries in those 22 innings. This gives a ratio of 11 innings per hundred. Kohli has a reputation of being a master chaser which is certainly vindicated by this metric.

#5 Man of the Match award

Kohli is a master chaser

Winning the man of the match award for the performance in a Test match is certainly a commendable effort as it requires a sustainable effort for 5 days. It is an important indicator to test the effectiveness of a player

Sachin got 14 Man of the Match awards in 200 Test matches, which translates into a ratio of 14.28 matches per award. Kohli has received 8 Man of the Match awards in 73 Test matches, which translates into a ratio of 9.125 matches per award.

Kohli's match-winning performances have come in more frequently.

Conclusion:

Virat Kohli's performance is certainly better at the present juncture of his career, but, longevity is an equally important criterion to judge the quality of a batsman. If Kohli can sustain the kind of effort he has been putting in so far then he might end up being the greatest, but, there is still a long way to go!