‘It’s my opinion’: AB de Villiers hits back after Virat Kohli-Sachin Tendulkar comparison sparks backlash | cricket news

South African great AB de Villiers has clarified his recent comments comparing Virat Kohli with Sachin Tendulkar after his assessment of the two Indian batting legends sparked a backlash on social media.De Villiers had earlier said that Kohli was better than Tendulkar in favorable overseas conditions, while crediting the former India opener for being the first Indian batsman to prove that players from the subcontinent could consistently succeed in challenging conditions outside Asia.The former South Africa captain’s comments sparked criticism, prompting him to explain what he meant.“There was a bit of confusion with my comment about Virat and Sachin. Remember, it’s my opinion. I’m not going to fire anyone. I’m telling you how I see it. Sachin was the first to move things forward for India, showing all the youngsters what it takes to perform consistently across the globe. I said Virat showed that there is a different dynamic in Indian batting by being good with the short ball. He found a way to counter that,” de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.De Villiers acknowledged that Kohli’s overseas numbers do not match Tendulkar’s, but insisted that statistics alone do not determine how he evaluates a batsman.“We can always look at the statistics and say that Virat’s statistics were not that good overseas, especially because of England where he really struggled. But I still feel that he looked confident and played the well-rounded and balanced cricket that is needed to be successful overseas and inspired a lot of youngsters around him. He took what he learned from Sachin and carried it forward. His record is not as good as Sachin’s away from home, but we don’t always look at the statistics, especially me. And that’s what I meant by showing the new generation of cricketers what the way forward should be like. Stay fit, lead by example and have a complete game,” de Villiers concluded.His original assessment had focused on how Kohli built on Tendulkar’s pioneering work.“I think of someone like Sachin Tendulkar a long time 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 came forward and raised the bar. Because of that, there are now quite a few players like Rahul and Padikkal, who have started to follow that trend and follow in the footsteps of a Virat and a Sachin,” De Villiers had previously stated.The statistical comparison, however, clearly favors Tendulkar in the overseas Tests.Tendulkar remains the leading run-scorer in Test history, having amassed 15,921 runs in 200 matches before retiring in 2013. Kohli retired from Test cricket in May 2025 after scoring 9,230 runs in 123 Tests, leaving him 19th on the all-time list.Tendulkar scored 8,705 of his away Tests, which is around 55% of his career total. He is also the leading run-scorer in overseas Test cricket. Meanwhile, Kohli made 4,774 runs in 66 Tests outside India.The difference remains significant when the comparison is restricted to the SENA countries. Tendulkar scored 5,387 runs in 63 Tests in South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia at an average of 51.30, including 17 centuries and 23 fifties.Kohli finished with 3,661 runs in 46 Tests in the same countries at an average of 42.08, with 12 centuries and 14 fifties.De Villiers’ clarification was therefore intended to put his original comments into context, with the South African underlining that his assessment was not just based on numbers, but also on Kohli’s approach, adaptability, aptitude and influence on the generation that followed him.