De Villiers: Kohli Raised the Bar Set by Tendulkar

Former South African batting great AB de Villiers has sparked debate by claiming that Virat Kohli surpassed Sachin Tendulkar when it comes to performing in overseas Test conditions — though the raw statistics paint a more nuanced picture.

Speaking on his YouTube channel after India's commanding 165-run victory over Sri Lanka in Galle, de Villiers — who shared the Royal Challengers Bengaluru dressing room with Kohli for years — credited Tendulkar as the trailblazer but argued that his former teammate took Indian batting abroad to an entirely different level.

"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," de Villiers said. "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."

The Numbers Tell a Different Story

While de Villiers' praise for Kohli is effusive, the statistical comparison tilts heavily in Tendulkar's favour. The Master Blaster remains the highest run-scorer in Test history, amassing 15,921 runs across 200 matches before his retirement in 2013. Of those runs, 8,705 — approximately 55% — came outside India, making him the leading overseas run-scorer in Test cricket.

Kohli, who retired from Test cricket in May 2025, finished with 9,230 runs in 123 Tests, placing him 19th on the all-time list. His overseas tally stood at 4,774 runs from 66 Tests away from home.

The gap widens further when the comparison is narrowed to SENA nations — South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia — widely regarded as the toughest conditions for subcontinent batters. Tendulkar scored 5,387 runs in 63 SENA Tests at an average of 51.30, including 17 centuries and 23 fifties. Kohli managed 3,661 runs in 46 Tests in those same conditions, averaging 42.08 with 12 hundreds and 14 fifties.

De Villiers' Argument Goes Beyond Statistics

De Villiers' assessment, however, appears rooted less in raw numbers and more in the broader cultural shift Kohli engineered within Indian cricket. Under Kohli's leadership, India transformed into a genuinely formidable touring side, setting expectations that Indian teams could — and should — win consistently outside home conditions.

That legacy, de Villiers believes, is already bearing fruit in the current generation. He pointed to batters such as KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal as evidence that the standard set by Tendulkar and Kohli is being carried forward.

"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.

Rahul Urged to Convert Starts into Match-Defining Scores

Despite his praise for the current crop, de Villiers was candid about one area of concern: KL Rahul's overseas record. The former Proteas star acknowledged the Karnataka batter's technical quality but stressed that his away average of 34 is simply not good enough for a player of his calibre.

"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," de Villiers said.

"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."

De Villiers' remarks come at a time when India are looking to build on their Galle triumph and cultivate a new wave of batters capable of sustaining the country's proud record in some of the world's most unforgiving cricketing environments.