IS VIRAT REALLY AS GREAT AS SACHIN, GAVASKAR OR BRADMAN?
The business of comparison is horrible. It means bringing someone big down to make someone else look bigger. Since the past few years there have been discussions of Virat Kohli being as good as Sachin or even better than him. But how do you compare a Don Bradman with Sunil Gavaskar or even Virat with Sachin Tendulkar? All of these players played in different eras of cricket. Bradman and Gavaskar played in an era when there were no restrictions on fast bowlers on bowling short balls and even beamers. Batting against the tall West Indian bowlers requires a completely different set of talent than Kohli batting against a Mitchell Starc or Dale Steyn.
But comparing Virat with Sachin is indeed obnoxious. It’s like comparing two generations without keeping the context in mind. When Sachin played he batted against some of the world class bowlers of that time which is what is lacking nowadays as the game has become more batting friendly. Sachin had to face bowlers like Wasim Akram, Imran Khan, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Murlitharan and many more who are in themselves great players.
Sachin played 200 Test matches and scored 15,921 runs at an average of 53.78. He played 463 ODIs and scored 18,426 runs at an average of 44.83. On the other hand Kohli has played just played 54 Tests and scored 4,451 runs at an amazing average of 51.76 and 179 ODIs scoring 7,775 runs at an average of 53.12. As the statistical comparison go there is nothing to compare as yet. Sachin is miles ahead of Virat in the number of matches played. Also averages tend to dip as you play longer. There will be low phases in career. So in order to compare Virat with Sachin we have to wait till he plays atleast 100 Tests.
While into comparison let’s not forget other factors as well. The quality of bats has undergone a massive change. An edge or even the poorly timed shots clear the boundary ropes easily these days. Earlier any ball not hitting the sweet spot of the bat would carry to the fielders. The protective gear has changed as well which has allowed batsmen to play shots like the hook, pull, scoop shot, switch hit and all sort of improvisation which players like Sachin, Gavaskar or Bradman who would have never thought of.
Though Virat has a realistic chance of having a better career draft than Sachin if he manages to remain injury free. There cannot be another Sachin or Bradman or Gavaskar, but Virat has amazing talent. Yes, there is no doubt that Virat is the most exciting batsman in contemporary cricket. He has been a prolific scorer and has proved his enormous talent in challenging circumstances. If there’s one batsman who can carry the tag ‘great’ on himself it has to be Virat Kohli.
