'Sachin Wasn't As Strong As Virat': South Africa Legend Makes Bold Kohli vs Tendulkar Claim

South Africa batting legend AB de Villiers believes Virat Kohli took India’s overseas batting standards to another level, building on the foundation laid by Sachin Tendulkar.

De Villiers made the comments after India’s 165-run win over Sri Lanka in Galle on Wednesday. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former Royal Challengers Bengaluru star said Tendulkar was the first Indian batter to show that players from the subcontinent could succeed in difficult overseas conditions.

“I think of someone like Sachin Tendulkar way back, who started that trend for India. Yet, he wasn’t as strong as someone like Virat Kohli, who was even better. But Sachin was the first guy to show that as a subcontinent batter, you can do well in bouncy and seaming conditions. Virat took that forward and raised the bar,” said de Villiers on his YouTube channel.

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Tendulkar’s numbers remain ahead

Tendulkar, who retired from international cricket in 2013, is still the highest run-scorer in Test history. He made 15,921 runs in 200 Tests.

Kohli, who retired from Test cricket in May 2025, ended his career with 9,230 runs from 123 matches.

Tendulkar was particularly successful outside India. He scored 8,705 of his Test runs away from home, which is around 55% of his overall tally. He remains the highest run-scorer by a batter in overseas Test cricket.

Kohli also enjoyed considerable success away from home, scoring 4,774 runs in 66 Tests outside India.

Tendulkar ahead in SENA countries

The difference becomes clearer when the numbers are limited to SENA countries — South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia.

Tendulkar scored 5,387 runs in 63 Tests in those countries at an average of 51.30. He hit 17 centuries and 23 fifties during that period.

Kohli, meanwhile, scored 3,661 runs in 46 Tests in SENA countries at an average of 42.08. He finished with 12 centuries and 14 fifties.

So, statistically, Tendulkar has the stronger record in overseas and SENA conditions.

Kohli’s bigger influence on Indian cricket

De Villiers’ comparison, however, appears to be about more than just numbers.

Kohli played a major role in India becoming a much stronger Test side away from home. Under his leadership, India placed a greater emphasis on fitness, fast bowling and competing aggressively in overseas conditions.

That approach also influenced the next generation of Indian batters.

De Villiers believes players such as KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal are following the path created by Tendulkar and Kohli.

“Because of that, there are quite a few players now like [KL] Rahul and [Devdutt] Padikkal, who have started to up that trend and follow in the footsteps of a Virat and a Sachin,” he added.

De Villiers wants more from Rahul

De Villiers also spoke about KL Rahul’s performances outside India. While he praised Rahul’s technique and importance to the Indian batting line-up, he feels the opener can produce bigger scores overseas.

“KL is a guy with a sound technique and is a big asset in that Indian lineup. But he averages only 34 away from home. So you’ll expect more and that is one area where he has to work on. He has to get bigger scores once he gets in and not just get a 100 but make it a 180 because that first-ball duck and getting out to the newish ball is always around the corner. So for him, the name of the game will be to make the big scores even bigger,” said de Villiers.

For de Villiers, Tendulkar opened the door for Indian batters overseas, while Kohli helped push the expectations even higher. The numbers may favour Tendulkar, but Kohli’s influence on India’s modern overseas Test success remains a major part of his legacy.