Tendulkar and Kohli: Geniuses with similar traits but contrasting personalities

Genius. It is a title that has to be conferred with utmost care upon its recipient. Not for nothing did the great poet Henri Fredernic Amiel said,

“Doing easily what others find difficult is talent; doing what is impossible for talent is genius.”

The world of cricket has seen several talented batsmen grace its hallowed history. But then, there have been very few geniuses, for genius is a rare trait. In the rich history of Indian cricket, two men have stood out, for their sheer ability to do things that was unfathomable by the rational mind, things that were considered absurd by their peers. Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli have taken the sport to such new dizzying heights that it just boggles the mind.

Let us get the numbers out of the way first. Even though they are just a part of a grand fable, they indeed can be a good starting point. Tendulkar has scored the most runs in Tests (15921) and ODI cricket (18426). When these numbers are put into context with the second highest run scorers in the respective formats, the magnitude of the achievement will begin to sink in. The second highest run scorer in ODI cricket is Kumar Sangakkara, and he is light years behind with an aggregate of 14234 runs. In Tests, the next highest run scorer is Ricky Ponting with 13378 runs. Tendulkar is the only man to score over 30000 international runs. His tally of 34357 in all formats is just unreal. The second man on the list is Kumar Sangakkara, and he is a good 6341 runs behind the master blaster.

Now, let us come to Virat Kohli. He is just 31 years old, but is already considered by many as one of the greatest batsmen to take strike. Let us get some numbers out of the way here as well. Kohli holds the record for being the fastest to score 1000 ODI runs in a calendar year. The batting gladiator took just 11 innings to reach 1000 runs in a calendar year, a record that might never be broken. He is the fastest to 10000 ODI runs, taking just 205 innings (54 lesser than the second placed Tendulkar). Kohli averages an unreal 59.71 in ODIs, and this is after playing 232 innings. He is the fastest to 70 international hundreds, reaching there in just 439 innings. Incidentally Tendulkar is second, taking 505 innings to reach the milestone.

Now, Tendulkar and Kohli are two geniuses with similar traits and contrasting personalities….

There are many things that are similar between the two batting dynamites. Both these men have pretty much made the ordinary mortals fade away while unleashing their splendour. The opposition camp has a shiver running down their spines when these two men are on song. Ask Shane Warne about Tendulkar’s Desert Storm hundred, and he will tell you the nightmares that he faced when Tendulkar ran down the track and smashed him over his head. Or ask Lasith Malinga about Kohli’s whirlwind 133 unbeaten at Hobart, and he will tell you what he felt when the Delhiite tore into him like a man possessed.

Both these men are made up of a mental toughness that is scarcely accessible to a normal batsman. Tendulkar once cut out the cover drive on his way to a masterly 241* against Australia in Sydney, because the shot had proven to be downfall in earlier Tests. And Kohli soaked in the sapping Wankhede humidity while putting the English attack to the sword on his way to a classical 235 in Mumbai.

Yet, these two men are extremely different..

When any bowler goes up to Tendulkar to have a little chirp in his ear, all he would get in return was a small nod of the head, or a blank stare. No abuses from Tendulkar, no chatter. And most likely, the master would have answered the bowler with the bat with a picturesque straight drive the next delivery. Kohli is different. If a bowler gets into his ear, he prefers to give it back. This aggression fuels him up, and it gets his competitive juices flowing. He will give the bowler a mouthful, and then tear into him with added aggression.

These two men have defined their respective eras, and have etched their names in the game’s history as the one of the greatest to have wielded the willow; with similar traits but contrasting personalities. If Tendulkar is ice, Kohli is fire. And there is a beautiful irony here, because Kohli grew up idolising Tendulkar.