Virat Kohli’s phenomenal 2018 vs Sachin Tendulkar’s memorable 1998

Indian captain Virat Kohli is having a fabulous 2018. This is his 11th year in international cricket since making debut against Sri Lanka in 2008 and he has completed 10,000 ODI runs this year besides excelling in the other two formats as well. While entering the 10,000 runs club, Kohli smashed the record of legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar as the quickest to complete the journey. He took 53 matches and 54 innings less than the Master Blaster.

Historically, the year 2018 is also significant for another reason. This year in Kohli’s career is roughly an equivalent to the year 1998 in Tendulkar’s illustrious career. Exactly two decades ago, Tendulkar had a mega-successful year in ODIs which had catapulted him to the top of the race in the 50-overs format and made him a sort of an uncrowned king.

Kohli has a yearly average of 133-plus in 2018 ODIs:

Down to the numbers now. In 2018, Kohli has played 14 ODIs, nine of which were abroad, and he slammed six centuries in these matches which means a century in every little-more-than-two matches. He has played six matches against South Africa, three against England and five against the Windies. In these 14 games, Kohli’s total run tally is 1,202 at an average of 133.55!

Besides six tons, Kohli has scored three half-centuries in these matches and remained not out on five occasions. He skipped the Asia Cup held in September or else the numbers could have been even higher. Of his six hundred, three have come against South Africa in a six-match away series while three on the trot against the Windies in a five-match home series.

In South Africa, Kohli scored hundreds in the first, third and sixth matches while against the Caribbeans, his three-figure-marks came in the first, second and third matches.

Tendulkar leaped from 12 to 21 ODI hundreds in one year:

Shift the focus now to Tendulkar. In 1998, Tendulkar registered as many nine ODI hundreds (it was his 10th year in the circuit). Till the end of 1997, he was in a contest with the likes of Saeed Anwar of Pakistan and Mark Waugh of Australia to score the most number of centuries in the 50-overs format.

While Anwar had the most number of ODI hundreds (14) at that point in time, Tendulkar was second at 12 and Waugh at 11. The record of most number of ODI hundreds then lied with Windies’ Desmond Haynes (17). But 1998 changed the scenario forever. Tendulkar leaped from 12 to 21 in one year while Anwar managed just one hundred in the same year and Waugh none.

The Indian batting maestro eclipsed Haynes and went on to script his own journey to the pinnacle and ended up with 49 hundreds in the 50-overs format.

Tendulkar played 34 ODI matches in 1998:

Tendulkar, however, played a lot more matches that year compared to Kohli (no IPL, no T20Is… ODI was the latest and dominant variant that cricket had those days). In 34 games in nine tournaments/ series combined, Tendulkar amassed 1,894 runs at an average of 65.31 (he played four unbeaten innings while he did not get to bat in one abandoned match).

It was in this year that Tendulkar had belted two consecutive centuries against Australia in Sharjah, popularly known as the ‘Desert Storm’. He also hit seven fifties the same year, including a 95 against Pakistan in Dhaka. Of the hundreds, four were hit against Australia, three against Zimbabwe, one against Kenya and one against Sri Lanka.

Tendulkar had no 150-plus score in 1998; Kohli has two in 2018

However, only one of the nine centuries was scored outside Asia (127 not out against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo) while four were scored in the sub-continent. The remaining four were scored in Sharjah. Tendulkar, however, did not cross the 150-run mark even once despite opening the batting with the highest score being 143 against Australia in Sharjah. Kohli, on the other hand, hit two 150-plus knocks during his show this year with the highest score being 160 not out against South Africa in Cape Town.

In terms of wins, India won four of the six ODI games in which Kohli hit a hundred this year and lost one (against Windies) and tied one (also against the Windies). When we talk about 1998, India won eight of the nine matches in which Tendulkar hit hundreds while they lost one (against Australia). Thus, Tendulkar has a lead over Kohli on this.

While Kohli scored four of his six hundreds in 2018 batting second, Tendulkar scored seven of his nine hundreds in 1998 while chasing.

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