Sachin Tendulkar or Virat Kohli: Who is the greatest ODI batter?

Virat Kohli has scored the most centuries in ODIs, while Sachin Tendulkar has accumulated the most half-centuries.

As Virat Kohli continues to display his batting prowess at the highest level of cricket, comparisons with other cricket icons, especially Sachin Tendulkar, are getting louder.

Both cricket icons guided the Indian Cricket Team in different eras and are currently seen as two of the best players ever to come to the crease and score runs. However, the argument of who’s a more complete player and has enjoyed a better career continues.

Thus, without any further ado, let’s try to understand who the greatest ODI batter is, Sachin Tendulkar or Virat Kohli.

Why Sachin Tendulkar is considered greatest batter in ODIs?

1. Carried the Indian team single handedly

Sachin Tendulkar carried the Indian team in the 1990s and early 2000s. He was unarguably the best batter in his generation, and he solidifies the claim with his professional career, which lasted more than two decades. There was even a time when he got out, fans used to turn off the TV, knowing that India would lose the game.

During that time, the Indian team wasn’t the strongest side, and there were numerous clashes in the dressing room as well. At the same time, senior cricket stars in the team were also caught in match-fixing; thus, Sachin carried a drowning Indian team.

2. Faced a rather aggressive bowling lineup with more restrictions

Sachin Tendulkar also played against a more praised bowling lineup on uncovered pitches with stricter fielding regulations. At that time, the team totals were also lower compared to the contemporary period. However, he still had an average of 44 against Australia in ODIs, whose lineup featured Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, and more.

3. Started his career as an all-rounder

Not to forget, Sachin Tendulkar started his career as an all-rounder and played in the lower middle order. Tendulkar also took 154 wickets before he eventually became only a batsman. Meanwhile, he has scored the most half-centuries in ODI history, courtesy of his nervous 90s innings.

Reason why Virat Kohli is considered best ODI batter

1. Chasing record

Virat Kohli has scored the most centuries in ODIs during run chases. He has scored 30 ODI centuries while chasing, and 25 of those ended in an Indian victory, racking up an 83.3 per cent success rate.

After him, Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma have scored 14 centuries each. Kohli has scored 6,374 runs in successful ODI chases, averaging more than 90. Interestingly, 42.3 per cent of his runs have come in successful run chases.

2. Also handled the captaincy

Virat Kohli also held the captaincy for the Indian team after Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s retirement from international cricket. Kohli was the Indian team captain from 2017 to 2021, and he did reasonbly well. On the other hand, Tendulkar was never considered a good leader.

3. Playing in an era where ODIs are less played

Virat Kohli made his debut for the senior team when T20I cricket was blooming. Soon after his arrival in international cricket, T20 cricket also became a staple for teams because it required less time and effort than an ODI. Thus, if a player is able to catch Sachin Tendulkar in ODI cricket in the current era, the player is certainly special.

Kohli also completed 15000 runs in just 303 innings at an average of over 59. Tendulkar, on the other hand, achieved the feat in 377 innings at an average of 44.24. This in itself says a lot about caliber of Kohli.

Final verdict

Both players have helped India become a giant in cricket in different eras, and lucky cricket fans have had the opportunity to watch both of them play for the Men in Blue. Thus, calling one out of the two the better batsman would be unfair. It’s up to the fans to decide on which side they are on this topic.

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