‘Pass the grass’: Former India cricketer mocks AB de Villiers over Virat Kohli-Sachin Tendulkar take | cricket news
Former India fast bowler Dodda Ganesh has shamelessly attacked South African great AB de Villiers after rating Virat Kohli ahead of Sachin Tendulkar in testing conditions overseas.De Villiers recently sparked a debate by saying
Kohli
he was a stronger batsman than Tendulkar in bounce and seam-friendly conditions.
While he praised Tendulkar for proving that a batsman from the subcontinent could succeed abroad, the former South Africa batsman felt Kohli carried that legacy forward and raised the bar.“I think of someone like
Sachin
Tendulkar long ago, who started that trend in India. However, he was not as strong as someone like Virat Kohli, who was even better. But Sachin was the first to prove that as a subcontinental batsman, you can do well in bounce and seam conditions.
“Virat took that forward and raised the bar,” he said.Ganesh disagreed with the assessment and responded to the comments about X with a cheeky one-liner.“Leave the weed, bro,” he wrote.
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De Villiers and Kohli share a close friendship, which perhaps explains the former South African batsman’s rating. However, Tendulkar’s overseas Test figures provide a strong counterpoint.Tendulkar scored 8,705 runs in 106 overseas Tests at an average of 54.7, including 29 centuries. Kohli has 4,894 runs in 68 overseas Tests at an average of 41.51.While Kohli has several notable Test achievements to his name, Tendulkar’s overall record remains difficult to overlook. In every country except the West Indies, Tendulkar has a better Test record than Kohli, although the former’s considerably longer career is a major factor.Tendulkar’s longevity was particularly evident towards the end of his career.
In the last four years of his career, he scored 2,951 runs, eight centuries and 14 fifties in 29 Tests. Kohli, in comparison, managed 1,912 runs in 36 Tests between 2020 and 2025.Kohli certainly has achievements that Tendulkar did not have. He scored four centuries in the 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, led India to their first Test series victory in Australia and produced two outstanding calendar years, scoring 1,215 runs in 2016 and 1,322 in 2018.
He also scored over 650 runs in a Test series on two occasions.But Tendulkar’s late-career resurgence was extraordinary. In 2010, at the age of 37, he scored over 1,500 runs in 14 Tests, including seven centuries. He scored 213 runs against South Africa, 390 against Sri Lanka and 403 against Australia that year.He then continued that form in 2011, scoring 326 runs in three Tests in South Africa and completing his 50th and 51st Test centuries.Meanwhile, Kohli’s Test legacy extends beyond his batting numbers. As captain, he played an important role in transforming India’s approach to Test cricket and led the team to a historic series victory in Australia.His peak years remain among the best for an Indian batsman. In 2018, he scored 697 runs in England, including three centuries, and also became the first Indian to score four double centuries in a calendar year.There is little debate about Kohli’s standing in white-ball cricket, where his record places him among the best. But when the comparison refers specifically to Test cricket, De Villiers’ assessment is sure to remain controversial.
