Statistical comparison: Who is the better Test batsman between Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson?

Test cricket is considered the most challenging format for any player in World cricket right now. This is the reason why the talent of any young cricketer is judged mostly on the basis of his performance in the longest format. At present, there are some players who have emerged as the superstars of the modern era. They have shown their class in the Test format as well.

This includes the likes of Steve Smith, Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Babar Azam and Joe Root. In this particular article, we will be comparing the numbers of Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson in Test cricket. We will be judging them on different criteria to get a better understanding as to which of them is ahead. Both of them will also clash in the upcoming final of the World Test Championship.

Overall record in Test cricket

Both players have scored over 7000 runs at an average of above 50 in their Test career so far. Though Williamson has got a slightly higher average, Virat Kohli has hit more centuries and double centuries in the longest format. Overall, both Virat and Kane have excellent numbers in the five-day format.

Record in fourth innings

Batting in the fourth innings of a Test match is considered the most challenging part for any player. Virat Kohli has maintained a healthy average of 50.94 in the fourth innings and has scored nearly a thousand runs with the help of three centuries and three fifties. On the other hand, Williamson is not too far behind with an average of 49.14, and 688 runs including three tons and three half-centuries.

Home vs Away record

Batting in home conditions is considered slightly easier for players, and both these batsmen have also used that benefit. They have almost identical numbers at home with the same number of hundreds (13).

Similarly, both of them have almost the same stats when it comes to away Test matches. Though their batting average is lower in comparison to home conditions, which is quite obvious to understand.

Record in SENA countries

One of the major criteria to judge a player from Asia is to check his numbers in the SENA countries i.e. in South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia. Virat has scored 2889 runs in 63 innings at a decent average of 46.59 in these countries. On the other hand, the Kiwi captain is familiar with such conditions and has aggregated 4719 runs at an impressive average of 55.51.

Record in Asia

What may be a challenge for Virat in SENA countries, similar will be the case with Williamson when it comes to Asian conditions. And just like the Indian captain in SENA, Kane Williamson has a managed an average of just over 46 in Asia. Virat has 4138 runs to his name in Asia at an excellent average of 60.85. This includes 15 centuries and 13 half-centuries with a high score of 254*.

Contribution in Team runs

The above table depicts the four active players with the highest contribution to team runs in Test cricket. New Zealand star Kane Williamson is at the second spot with 16.36 per cent of team runs coming off his bat, while Virat is slightly behind with 15.56 per cent runs. This just proves how their teams are dependent on them to score runs in the longest format of the game.

Conclusion

After analyzing all the numbers with different criteria, it’s clear that both the superstars are neck and neck in the five-day cricket. Both have got almost similar numbers when compared with common situations. They have been pretty consistent with their batting in the past ten years, and only time will tell who ends up as a better Test batsman.