South Africa great AB de Villiers has moved to clarify his recent comments comparing Virat Kohli with Sachin Tendulkar after his assessment of the two Indian batting legends triggered a fierce backlash on social media.

De Villiers had previously argued that Kohli was better than Tendulkar in seam-friendly overseas conditions, while crediting the former India opener with being the first Indian batter to show that players from the subcontinent could succeed consistently in challenging conditions outside Asia. The comments drew widespread criticism, prompting the former South Africa captain to explain exactly what he meant.

'It's my opinion'

Speaking on his YouTube channel, de Villiers insisted his remarks had been misinterpreted and stressed that he was merely offering a personal perspective rather than diminishing either great.

“There was a bit of confusion with my Virat and Sachin comment. Remember, it's my opinion. I'm not axing anyone. I'm telling you the way that I see it. Sachin was the first to take things forward for India, showing all the youngsters what it takes to perform consistently everywhere around the world. I said that Virat sort of showed that there is a different dynamic to Indian batting by being good on the short ball. He found a way to counter that.”

Acknowledging the numbers

De Villiers conceded that Kohli's overseas numbers do not match Tendulkar's, but insisted that statistics alone do not determine how he assesses a batter or a leader of the next generation.

“We can always look at stats and say Virat's stats were not as good abroad, especially because of England, where he really struggled. But I still feel he looked confident and played the all-round, well-balanced cricket that's needed to succeed abroad and inspired a lot of youngsters around him. He took what he learnt from Sachin and took it forward. His record is not as good as Sachin's away from home, but we don't always look at stats, especially not me. And that's what I meant with showing the new generation of cricketers how the way forward should look. Staying fit, leading by example, having the all-round game.”

His original assessment had centred on how Kohli built on Tendulkar's pioneering work.

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

What the stats say

The statistical comparison, however, strongly favours Tendulkar in overseas Tests. The Master Blaster remains the leading run-scorer in Test history, having accumulated 15,921 runs in 200 matches before retiring in 2013, while Kohli finished his Test career in May 2025 with 9,230 runs in 123 Tests, leaving him 19th on the all-time list.

Tendulkar scored 8,705 of his Test runs away from home — around 55% of his career tally — and remains the highest run-scorer in overseas Test cricket. Kohli, by comparison, made 4,774 runs in 66 Tests outside India.

The gap is even more pronounced when restricted to SENA nations — South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia. Tendulkar scored 5,387 runs in 63 Tests across those countries at an average of 51.30, including 17 centuries and 23 fifties. Kohli finished with 3,661 runs in 46 Tests in the same nations at an average of 42.08, with 12 centuries and 14 fifties.

De Villiers' clarification sought to place his original comments into context, with the South African stressing that his assessment rested not merely on numbers but on Kohli's approach, adaptability, fitness and the influence he has had on the generations that followed him.