"Rules Have Changed": Gautam Gambhir On Virat Kohli's Comparison With Sachin Tendulkar

Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir was present in the broadcaster's studio as Virat Kohli notched up his 45th ODI ton in the first one-day match against Sri Lanka in Guwahati on Tuesday. Kohli's super show with the bat saw him earn plenty of plaudits on social media. In the process, Kohli also went on to match the legendary Sachin Tendulkar's record of scoring the most 'home hundreds' in ODIs. As comparisons between Kohli and Tendulkar erupted among fans and experts, Gambhir played it down, suggesting the 'rules have changed' from the time when Sachin used to play.

Gambhir remained firm while saying no to the idea of comparison between players in different eras. The former India opening batter cited fielding restrictions and the availability of a second new ball as some of the 'rule changes' that have worked in the favour of batters in the current era.

"It's not about the record honestly. Virat Kohli will go on to get many more centuries than Sachin Tendulkar in the 50-over format. See, the rules have changed, " Gambhir said on Star Sports.

"You should not compare eras. It's not fair to compare eras as well where there was one new ball as compared to now when there are 2 new balls with five fielders inside. But yes, he has been a master in this format and he has shown it over such a long period of time," he added.

Sanjay Manjrekar, who was also on the Star Sports panel for the match, said that he has no doubt that Kohli will go on to overtake Tendulkar in the list of most ODI hundreds.

"He (Kohli) is not an opener so in every 50-overs game, he is not going there from ball number 1 and you are looking at the whole innings to get a hundred. He has batted at 3 most of the times so that is something you have got to consider. I have no doubt that he will overtake Tendulkar in one-day hundreds. I mean, it's just four hundreds to equal Tendulkar. It may happen in a year and a half. It's a 50-over World Cup year so I believe it could happen," he said.

Kohli already has 45 hundreds in international cricket when it comes to the 50-over format. Tendulkar, on the other hand, has 49 tons in ODIs.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Sri Lanka Cricket Team Gautam Gambhir Virat Kohli Sachin Tendulkar India vs Sri Lanka 2023 Cricket