Sachin Tendulkar vs Virat Kohli: Who is better in Tests?

Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli are two of the biggest batting superstars ever, produced by India. These two iconic batsmen have dominated the bowling attacks of their respective eras and have left all the other mortals behind while revealing their Genius.

Both of these men have the backbones of their respective batting lineups. While Tendulkar carried the burden of a nation on his back for a colossal 24 years, Kohli has been India's talisman for a decade now. Both these iconic batsmen have the ability to make even the best of bowling attacks appear ordinary when they are at their thrilling best.

And, both these men have taken cricket to statistically new peaks unmatched by any other batsman.

But who is better between the two?

While so many qualitative factors like the quality of bowling attacks, the burden of expectations, the roles played by both these men will be endlessly debated, let us just confine ourselves to the numbers generated by these two men.

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1. Man of the Match ratio

A ‘Man of the Match’ performance signifies that a player has outperformed all the other players in the game. Let us look at the Man of the Match ratios of Tendulkar and Kohli.

In the case of Tendulkar, the little master won the Man of The Match award 14 times out of the staggering 200 Test matches that he played for India which translated to a Man of the Match award every 14.28 games.

On the other hand, Virat Kohli has so far won the Man of The Match award eight times in the 75 matches that he has played which translates to a Man of the Match award every 9.375 games.

Kohli is well ahead of Sachin in this parameter.

2. Ratio of Away runs to total runs

Out of the total runs scored by Sachin Tendulkar, a whopping 54.68% have come away from home

Playing “Away” from home poses a lot of challenges. For, a batsman has to adjust to different bowling conditions, adapt himself to the pace and bounce on different wickets to score runs.

Out of the 15921 runs scored by Sachin Tendulkar, a whopping 8705 runs came away from home. This means that 54.68% of Tendulkar’s total runs were scored away from home.

In the case of Kohli, out of the 6508 runs that Kohli has scored so far, 3403 runs have come away from home which translates to 52.28%.

Tendulkar is marginally ahead of Kohli in this parameter

3. Percentage of runs scored in the fourth innings of a Test match to Total runs scored

Kohli's ratio of 4th Innings runs to his total runs is well ahead of Sachin's at this juncture

Batting in the fourth innings of a Test match is indeed extremely challenging. For, a there will be the pressure of chasing a target, the pitch will start crumbling on the fourth and the fifth days, and a batsman should have the skill and temperament to score runs in the 4th innings.

In the case of Tendulkar, out of 15921 runs, only 1605 runs have come in the fourth innings of a test match which translates to a ratio of 10.21%.

On the other hand, out of the 6508 runs scored by Virat Kohli, 896 runs have been scored in the fourth innings which translates to 13.77% of his total runs.

Kohli’s ratio of the fourth innings runs to his total runs is well ahead of Sachin’s ratio at this juncture.

4. Batting average in ”away” Test matches

Sachin Tendulkar averages a stunning 54.75 in matches played away from home

The batting average of a batsman measures his ability to be consistent in scoring runs for his side. And the batting average of a batsman in away matches is very significant because it shows his ability to thrive on varied conditions and against diverse bowling attacks.

Over a period of 24 years, Sachin Tendulkar scored a staggering 8705 runs in 176 innings away from home at a stunning average of 54.75.

On the other hand, in the 74 innings that Kohli has played, Kohli has scored 3403 runs away from home at an average of 47.26.

At this juncture, Sachin Tendulkar is well ahead of Kohli in this parameter.

So, there you have it. There can be so many parameters to judge two great batsmen, but I felt that these are the four most important parameters to compare Kohli and Tendulkar.

Both these men are an inspiration to millions of people and legends in their own right.

(All Statistics are updated till the end of the second Test between India And Australia)