Ashwin sticks his neck out: Tendulkar over Kohli — but 100 international centuries would settle it

'There should never be any comparisons' — Ashwin's verdict on the Tendulkar-Kohli GOAT debate

Ravichandran Ashwin has spent years sharing dressing rooms with both Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, but when asked to settle the never-ending debate over who is the greater batsman, the former India off-spinner does not hesitate. For Ashwin, Tendulkar remains ahead of Kohli — and his reasoning goes well beyond run tallies.

The era in which Tendulkar batted, and the enormous burden he carried as Indian cricket's biggest hope, are central to Ashwin's argument. On his YouTube show 'Ash ki Baat', the veteran spinner was unequivocal, while also insisting the generation gap makes direct comparison inherently unfair.

“There should never be any comparisons between Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli, and every time I will stick my neck out and say, Sachin Tendulkar. On two counts. First, I am a big fan. And second, look at the kind of innings he has played. He was Indian cricket's hope. It is not Virat Kohli's fault. If he were to bat at No. 3 in any generation, he would have been a champion player, no doubt.”

Why Ashwin says comparing generations is 'sinister'

Ashwin argues that cricket's evolving regulations have fundamentally changed the nature of 50-over batting, giving modern players advantages Tendulkar never enjoyed. He pointed to the use of two new balls, the fielding restrictions, and the fact that Tendulkar's generation largely played day-time cricket with an ageing ball.

“But look at the rules, in the first innings, after 34 overs against West Indies in the 1st ODI, they should have played with one ball. The ball got old in daylight. Sachin Tendulkar played a lot of 50-overs cricket in day-time. We don't play that. Five fielders are inside the circle. Two new balls. These are huge factors. And to compare people of two generations, it's sinister in my mind.”

Kohli, of course, has already rewritten several ODI records that once belonged to his idol — surpassing Tendulkar's tally of ODI centuries — while the Master Blaster remains comfortably ahead in Test cricket. Their contrasting records across formats ensure the debate will outlive both their careers.

The one achievement that would level the playing field

Yet there is one landmark that could make Ashwin place Kohli on the same pedestal: 100 international centuries. Kohli currently has 86 international hundreds and needs 14 more to match the record Tendulkar set 14 years ago.

With India expected to play roughly 30 more ODIs — including next year's World Cup in South Africa — the opportunity remains for Kohli to close in on that number. Kohli has already declared that the 2027 World Cup will be his final appearance at the tournament, and Ashwin does not expect his former captain to carry on beyond that event, making the pursuit of the milestone especially significant.

“As a well-wisher, I really wish he hangs up his boots by then (2027 World Cup) because he has committed that it will be his last World Cup. To maintain such elite level of fitness and batting requires a lot of effort, and I'm sure behind closed doors, he is continuing to put in that work. He doesn't want to do it after that. Keeping all that in mind, logically, he can do it - score 100 centuries - and if he does, I will take my hat off. It will be a remarkable achievement. And in this home run, if he is able to do it, I would say both of them are on the same level, without a shadow of a doubt.”

For Ashwin, then, the debate is not merely about numbers or aesthetics — it is about context. Tendulkar remains, in his eyes, the benchmark. But a century of international hundreds would leave the two batting greats, in Ashwin's words, 'without a shadow of a doubt' on the same level.