Former Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli is often regarded as the “Second God of Cricket” after his idol, Sachin Tendulkar, who is widely known as the “God of Cricket.” Kohli, named the ICC Men’s Player of the Decade, has been the most dominant batsman in international cricket over the last ten years, outshining top players like Steve Smith, Joe Root, and Rohit Sharma.
India’s knack for producing legendary batsmen since the time of Sunil Gavaskar is truly remarkable. After Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar emerged, and then Virat Kohli took the spotlight. Tendulkar and Kohli even shared the same team when India won their second ODI World Cup title after 28 years. Kohli is so highly regarded as the second God of Cricket that some of the top cricket betting sites are already offering odds on who will be the “third God of Cricket.“
Why is Virat Kohli Called the Second God of Cricket?
Though Kohli hasn’t broken all of Tendulkar’s records, and considering his age, it seems unlikely, he did surpass Tendulkar’s record for the most runs in a single ODI World Cup.
In the 2023 ODI World Cup, Kohli amassed 711 runs, setting a new record for the most runs by a player in a single tournament. He broke Tendulkar’s previous record of 673 runs, set during the 2003 World Cup in South Africa when India reached the final.
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Here are a few instances when Kohli showed why many consider him better than Tendulkar:
Virat Kohli’s Career Stats: Test, ODI, and T20I
Fastest to Reach 10,000 ODI Runs
On October 24, 2018, Virat Kohli reached 10,000 ODI runs during an unbeaten innings of 157 runs. He achieved this milestone in just 205 innings, a world record, surpassing Tendulkar who took 259 innings to reach the same milestone back in 2001. Kohli also outpaced other legendary batsmen like Kumar Sangakkara and MS Dhoni. He accomplished this feat in just 10 years and 67 days since his ODI debut.
Fastest to Reach 12,000 ODI Runs
After reaching 10,000 runs, Kohli then reached 12,000 ODI runs while playing against Australia in Rajkot. During the second game of the three-match series, Kohli needed 23 runs to reach the milestone and did so in his 242nd innings. He became the fastest in history to achieve this, breaking Tendulkar’s record of 300 innings, doing it in 58 fewer innings.
Highest ODI-Rated Indian Batsman Ever
In 2017, during a three-match series against New Zealand, Kohli regained the top spot in the ICC rankings with a rating of 889. This rating was the highest any Indian batsman had achieved since Tendulkar’s 887 rating in 1998.
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Fastest Batsman to Score 50 International Centuries
In 2017, Kohli scored an unbeaten 104 against Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens, achieving 50 international centuries in just 348 innings. He reached this milestone 28 innings faster than Tendulkar, who took 376 innings.
Fastest Batsman to Reach 40 ODI Hundreds
Kohli became only the second batsman in cricket history to reach 40 ODI centuries after scoring 116 against Australia on March 5, 2019, in Nagpur. He achieved this in just 216 innings, significantly faster than Tendulkar, who took 355 innings.
Only Batsman to Score 50 ODI Centuries
On November 15, 2023, Kohli reached the milestone of 50 ODI centuries against New Zealand at Wankhede during the 2023 World Cup semi-final. This made him the only player in cricket history to achieve such a feat.
Kohli in ICC World Cups
| Format | Innings | Runs | Average | 100 / 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ODI World Cups | 37 | 1795 | 59.83 | 5 / 12 |
| T20I World Cups | 25 | 1141 | 81.50 | 0 / 14 |
Longevity has been a key part of Tendulkar’s legendary career, something Kohli is trying to match. However, Kohli’s scoring rate, fitness, and consistency give him an edge. In the ODI World Cups, Kohli has played two fewer tournaments than Tendulkar and trails him by just 483 runs. In the T20I World Cups, Kohli is the leading scorer with 1,141 runs at an average of 81.50.
Cricket Legends on Virat Kohli
- “To become a good player, you need talent. To become a great player, you need an attitude like Kohli.” – Sunil Gavaskar
- “Not sure I have seen a better white-ball cricketer ever than Kohli.” – Ricky Ponting
- “Virat Kohli’s success does not surprise you. His failures do.” – Sanjay Manjrekar
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