Sachin Tendulkar or Virat Kohli, who is greater? It is a debate that has gone on for a long time now, with varying opinions. Sachin Tendulkar leads the way in almost every metric when it comes to run-scoring, but Virat Kohli has stood out in his own way for over a decade. Legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar - in many ways the predecessor to Kohli and Tendulkar as India's standout batter - has now weighed in on the debate, and given his own opinion.
When asked who he would pick between Tendulkar and Kohli, Gavaskar had a straightforward response.
"I will never compare eras. Playing conditions are different. The pitches are different. The opposition is different. Therefore, it is very difficult to compare people," Gavaskar said, speaking on the Sports Central channel.
On the topic of comparisons between great players, Gavaskar called it something that is a 'weakness' within people in the subcontinent.
"It is only a weakness, if I might call it a weakness, amongst the subcontinent, over comparisons. We will always compare players," Gavaskar said.
"Have you ever seen anyone asking whether Ricky Ponting is a better player than Greg Chappell? Or if Greg Chappell was a better player than Don Bradman? Nobody. They just accept the current players as they are," Gavaskar added.
"Only happens in the subcontinent. All the time, we are comparing," Gavaskar stated.
The debate between Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar is one that has raged on among generations. Tendulkar retired as the most decorated batter when it comes to runs, and is the highest run-scorer in both Test and ODI cricket to this day.
In white-ball cricket, Kohli's statistics are better than Tendulkar's when it comes to factors like average. However, in red ball cricket, it is Tendulkar who enjoys the advantage.
In terms of runs, Kohli is just over 4,000 runs behind Tendulkar in ODIs, while the gap in Test cricket is sizeable, at nearly 7,000.
Gavaskar himself, for the record, boasts over 10,000 Test runs, a little more than Kohli at this stage.
Kohli has the chance to add to his record, playing in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025. The 36-year-old smashed a masterful century as India beat Pakistan on February 23, and crossed 14,000 ODI runs in the process, becoming the fastest to that milestone.
Kohli has already eclipsed Tendulkar in ODI tons, having 51 to his name compared to Tendulkar's 49. In Tests, however, Kohli has only 30 compared to Tendulkar's 51.