Veteran batsman of Indian cricket team Virat Kohli Whenever his name is associated with big records of ODI cricket, his comparison with Sachin Tendulkar starts. Now that Kohli has completed 15,000 ODI runs by scoring his 55th century in the first ODI against West Indies, this debate has once again intensified. However, Kohli himself does not give much importance to this comparison.
Kohli clearly said that Sachin Tendulkar’s place will always be different for him. He said, “For me, Sachin paaji will always be Sachin paaji. MS Dhoni will also always be MS Dhoni as my first captain. These things can never change in me.”
What did Kohli say?
According to Kohli, he never sees himself in a place where he can say that he has achieved everything. He believes that it is important to focus on performance and preparation in sports and the player should not let the ego develop within him that he is better than everyone else.
‘Sachin had revolutionized cricket’
Kohli described Tendulkar’s contribution as much more than statistics. He said that Sachin had revolutionized cricket during his time and the impression he left on people cannot be understood only through records or mutual comparisons. This is the reason why despite continuously breaking records, Kohli avoids putting himself at par with Tendulkar. Kohli has been facing comparisons with Tendulkar for more than a decade. Even in 2017, he had expressed his humility on such comparisons and even after so many years, his viewpoint has not changed.
Kohli made a big record in reaching 15 thousand runs
Kohli scored unbeaten 139 runs in the first ODI played against West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram. During this innings, he completed 15,000 runs in ODI cricket and became only the second batsman in the world to reach this milestone. Before him, this achievement was in the name of Sachin Tendulkar. The special thing was that Kohli achieved this figure in just 303 innings, whereas Tendulkar took 377 innings to complete 15,000 ODI runs. That means Kohli achieved this feat by playing 74 innings less than Tendulkar.
In this match, Kohli completed his 55th ODI century. He played an unbeaten inning of 139 runs on 88 balls and played an important role in helping India win by 8 wickets against West Indies.
Despite making records, Kohli’s focus is different
For Kohli, consistent performance is more important than personal records. Even after completing 15,000 runs and 55th century, his emphasis remained on the fact that the player should keep focusing on his preparation and game. Regarding his image in the eyes of the people, he also said that he does not see himself from the same perspective as outsiders see him. Fans look at him on the basis of his achievements and performances, but he still sees himself as the same person from where he started.
Kohli says that people from outside create a different image of a player after seeing his achievements, but the player himself knows his journey and his roots more closely. Therefore he does not see himself from the eyes of others.
Kohli’s respect remains intact amid comparison with Sachin
Kohli has left behind Sachin Tendulkar’s record in terms of ODI centuries and has now reached 15,000 ODI runs faster than him, but it is clear from Kohli’s statement that despite these figures, Tendulkar is not just a record or a statistic for him. For them, Sachin is the player who inspired a generation of cricketers like him and left a deep impact on Indian cricket. So for Kohli, comparison of records has its place, but Sachin Tendulkar’s legacy in cricket and his impact on people is different and much broader.