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KEY TAKEAWAYS: - Former South Africa and RCB batter AB de Villiers claimed Virat Kohli was a better player than Sachin Tendulkar in overseas Test matches. - Statistically, Tendulkar averaged 51.30 in 63 SENA Tests, compared to Kohli's 41.54 across 48 matches. - Tendulkar also averaged 54.74 away from home, while Kohli averaged 41.13 in away and neutral Tests combined. - Cricket News compares the Test careers of the two Indian legends. AB de Villiers claims Sachin Tendulkar wasn't 'as strong as' Virat Kohli in away Test matches The Sachin Tendulkar vs Virat Kohli debate has produced countless arguments over the years, but former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has now brought back the discussion. Rather than simply comparing their career numbers, de Villiers focused on what the two Indian batting legends achieved away from home, particularly in the challenging conditions of SENA countries. "I think of someone like Sachin Tendulkar way back, who started that trend for India," de Villiers said on his YouTube channel. "Yet, he wasn't as strong as someone like Virat Kohli, who was even better. But Sachin was the first guy to show that as a subcontinent batter, you can do well in bouncy and seaming conditions. Virat took that forward and raised the bar." The Cricket News examines the claim and compares Tendulkar's and Kohli's numbers in Test cricket including home, away and in SENA nations. Sachin Tendulkar vs Virat Kohli: Overall Test records There is a huge difference in the number of Tests played by the two batters, with Tendulkar finishing his career after 200 matches compared to Kohli's 123. Tendulkar scored 15,921 runs at 53.78, including 51 centuries, while Kohli managed just 9,230 runs at 46.85 with 30 hundreds. | Player | Tests | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s | Highest | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Sachin Tendulkar | 200 | 15,921 | 53.78 | 51 | 68 | 248* | | Virat Kohli | 123 | 9,230 | 46.85 | 30 | 31 | 254* | Sachin Tendulkar vs Virat Kohli: Who has the better record in Tests at home? Kohli has the better average in Test cricket at home, with 55.58 runs per inning across 55 home Tests, scoring 4,336 runs and 14 centuries. Tendulkar, meanwhile, scored 7,216 runs in 94 home Tests at an average of 52.67, with 22 centuries. | Player | Tests | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s | Highest | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Sachin Tendulkar | 94 | 7,216 | 52.67 | 22 | 32 | 217 | | Virat Kohli | 55 | 4,336 | 55.58 | 14 | 13 | 254* | Sachin Tendulkar vs Virat Kohli in overseas Tests: Who performed better away from home? Tendulkar's away record was remarkably strong. He scored 8,705 runs at 54.74 in 106 away Tests, actually averaging more outside India than he did at home. Kohli's combined away and neutral record reads as: 4,894 runs at an average of 41.13 across 68 Tests. | Player | Tests | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s | Highest | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Sachin Tendulkar | 106 | 8,705 | 54.74 | 29 | 36 | 248* | | Virat Kohli | 68* | 4,894 | 41.13 | 16 | 18 | 200 | *Kohli's figure combines 66 away Tests and two neutral Tests. Sachin Tendulkar vs Virat Kohli Test record in SENA countries The SENA countries of South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia provide perhaps the clearest test of a batter's ability to adapt to seaming and bouncy conditions. And once again, Tendulkar's numbers are stronger. The former India batter scored 5,387 runs at 51.30 across 63 SENA Tests, including 17 centuries. Kohli has scored 3,781 runs at 41.54 across 48 SENA Tests, with 12 centuries. | Player | SENA Tests | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s | Highest | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Sachin Tendulkar | 63 | 5,387 | 51.30 | 17 | 23 | 241 | | Virat Kohli | 48 | 3,781 | 41.54 | 12 | 14 | 169 | The Cricket News Opinion: Tendulkar is undisputed at the top, Kohli made his impact in Test cricket If it is purely about Test batting numbers in away and SENA conditions, the statistics don't support de Villiers' claim. | Stat | Sachin Tendulkar | Virat Kohli | |---|---|---| | Overall average | 53.78 | 46.85 | | Home average | 52.67 | 55.58 | | Away/neutral average | 54.74 | 41.13 | | SENA average | 51.30 | 41.54 | | Overall 100s | 51 | 30 | | SENA 100s | 17 | 12 | However, Kohli's contribution to India's Test cricket was about setting a culture as a red-ball captain. His era saw India place greater emphasis on winning overseas (including the BGT Down Under), building a formidable pace attack - all of which goes far beyond comparing his batting numbers with the 'Master Blaster'. In a direct comparison, batting-wise in Test cricket, Tendulkar wins the battle. All that said, the major disappointments in Kohli's Test career would be that he failed to reach the 10,000-run milestone and failed to win the World Test Championship (WTC) mace. To keep up to date with all the latest cricket news and share your opinion on the biggest topics visit our Facebook, Instagram and X (Twitter) pages.