Two names stand out as titans in the cricket world, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, both of whom have left an enduring impression on the game. Although it is natural to draw parallels between these cricketing icons, today we examine their incredible rise to ODI century and the distinctive records they have left behind.
Nothing short of extraordinary has been Virat Kohli’s journey to tie Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the most ODI hundreds at the highest level—the ODI World Cup 2023. The quickness with which Kohli reached this goal is what makes him unique. Tendulkar’s remarkable ODI career lasted 22 years, whereas Kohli’s remarkable 49 ODI hundreds came in just 15 years.
Comparing the average innings of Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar
Even though the centuries look very different at first glance, a closer look shows an interesting pattern in how often they score compared to the averages of their eras. Considering the different eras in which they played, Tendulkar’s pace of one century every 9.22 innings and Kohli’s rate of one century every 5.65 innings are comparable.
Tendulkar’s record was one century every 1.96 matches, whereas Kohli’s record was 1.26 matches per hundred. These figures are reported by ESPN Cricinfo. There were 131 hundreds by Indian batsmen in the games that Tendulkar played in. As an example of his impact on the team’s success, Kohli’s presence resulted in 137 centuries.
The Master of Chases, Virat Kohli
With 27 ODI centuries—23 of which resulted in victories—Virat Kohli has a remarkable record for most centuries scored in the chase. However, only three of Tendulkar’s seventeen centuries during his chasing career resulted in losses. India’s win percentage during Kohli’s tenure has been substantially greater, at 61.59%, than Tendulkar’s 50.54%, despite Tendulkar having the advantage in hundreds scored when batting first (32 vs 22). As a result, Tendulkar has only scored 33 of 49 hundreds, while 41 of Kohli’s 49 centuries have come in winning games.
List of Virat Kohli’s IPL and international centuries
Comparing Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar’s demographics across centuries
An intriguing contrast can be found in the centuries’ geographic distribution. While Kohli made 23 of his 49 hundreds in India, Tendulkar made 20 of them there. Still, Kohli’s ability is demonstrated in away matches, where he amassed 21 century to Tendulkar’s meagre 12.
While Tendulkar’s tenure of ODIs offered a wider variety of competitions, Kohli’s journey was mainly comprised of bilateral series. Kohli’s versatility is demonstrated by the fact that he has at least one ODI century in each of the nine nations he has played in. Tendulkar, on the other hand, made hundreds of runs in twelve different countries while playing.
2023 ODI World Cup: Most Runs
Tendulkar and Kohli each scored century at 34 and 32 grounds, respectively, and their centuries were spread over a comparable number of sites.
In terms of teamwise hundreds, Sachin Tendulkar is superior to Virat Kohli.
Sachin Tendulkar scored hundreds of runs against eleven different teams, including associate nations, whereas Kohli scored forty-nine centuries versus full member nations. Tendulkar is noteworthy for having the most hundreds of any player against any team—nine versus Australia. By comparison, Kohli has a record ten centuries versus Sri Lanka, a record in one-day international cricket, and five or more centuries against six different nations.
The “Lone Warrior,” Sachin Tendulkar
In conclusion, when it comes to sharing the spotlight with their colleagues, Tendulkar scored 32 hundreds to Kohli’s 22 when he was the only centurion. Tendulkar only managed to reach the century mark nine times in matches where both batters scored, whereas Kohli did so thirteen times. When India was knocked out, Kohli also equaled Tendulkar’s record with six hundreds.
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