Virat Kohli vs Sachin Tendulkar: The titans of the 10000 runs club
Virat Kohli got to 10,000-run mark in 54 fewer innings.
The battle of the averages and strike-rates:
Cricket has undergone a sea change in the time between when Tendulkar and Kohli hit their respective 10,000 runs. The batsmen are a far more fierce force now compared to when Tendulkar used to take the stance. Kohli at the moment averages 59.62 which is more than 17 points higher than that of his predecessor when he completed 10,000 runs (42.63). In terms of strike-rate also, Kohli does some six-points better than the former great. His strike rate now is 92.51 while that of Tendulkar till 10k was 86.52.
Tendulkar’s figures improved after he started opening
However, one has to take into consideration the fact that unlike Kohli, who has played throughout as a middle-order batsman, Tendulkar had played his first 66 innings as a lower middle-order/middle-order batsman. His figures had improved by far after he shifted to the opening slots (had an average of 46 plus and strike rate of 89-plus in the 193 innings he played as an opener).
Though Kohli has a far better performance as a chaser of targets, Tendulkar didn’t do too badly when he chased as the opener. He averaged above 50 and had a strike rate of 94-plus which is 0.14 points better than Kohli who has an average of 68-plus as a chaser.
However, one must also take into account that Kohli has excelled as a batsman even while setting new bars with his captaincy record, something which Tendulkar could not.
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