On Virat Kohli vs Sachin Tendulkar Debate, Sourav Ganguly's Ultimate Verdict

Who is a better player - Virat Kohli or Sachin Tendulkar? This is a never-ending debate in cricket. In a career spanning 24 years at the highest level, Sachin broke and registered multiple records. He is still the top run-scorer in international cricket, with a record 100 centuries to his name. When it seemed that nobody could ever get close to his achievements, Kohli showed immense consistency and dedication to become the second big name after Tendulkar in the international arena.

While Sachin sits at the top of the list of international centuries and run-scorers at the highest level, Kohli is right behind him. However, the impact of both players goes well beyond numbers.

Having made his debut in 2008, Kohli also played with Tendulkar until the legend retired from international cricket in 2013. While Sachin signed off, Kohli continued to impress with his blockbuster performances. The Delhi batter has also drawn the curtains on his T20I and Test careers but remains active in ODIs.

When former India captain Sourav Ganguly was asked at the WITT Summit on the TV9 Network about who is the greatest player between the two, he came up with a balanced answer.

"Both are great, both are very good, and I am happiest that both are from India. Both have won so many matches for India. You cannot even imagine, because when you play, you realise how difficult it is to score so many runs and so many centuries," he explained.

Ganguly also revealed the pressure of opening the batting alongside Sachin, one of the best openers in world cricket.

He said, "Sachin Tendulkar is a very big player. I have seen him from up close, I have played so much with him. I had opened around 250 ODIs with him, so I would always come home and say that my game should not go down.

"Sometimes my wife would ask why, since form goes up and down. I would say no - people will say that at one end there is such a great player, and at the other end there is an average player. So I never wanted my game to go down.

"One thing I believe in life is that when you play with good people, players who are better and stronger than you, your game also improves, your level rises to theirs. So in my opinion, there should not be a comparison between Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar. Both belong to India. But I have seen Sachin very closely, and he is a great player."

Topics mentioned in this article

Cricket India Cricket Team Virat Kohli Sachin Tendulkar Sourav Ganguly