Rohit Sharma made his international debut for India in 2007 while Virat Kohli entered the scene in 2008. Right since then, the duo have played one great knock after the other for the country. While Sharma’s talent was spoken about highly, Kohli’s passion stood out distinctly. The fans of both these batting superstars have often engaged in social media wars as to who is the biggest match-winner.
StumpsandBails provides all the facts and numbers which will help us determine who among Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli is the bigger match-winner:
The battle of the Longest Format:
Sharma’s troubled Test start:
Rohit Sharma for all his talent hasn’t played the number of Test matches he ideally should have. He made his limited-overs debut in 2007 but it took him 6 years to make his Test debut. Sharma scored 2 centuries on debut against West Indies at home in 2013. But he couldn’t build upon his start in Tests. He was often found wanting in overseas conditions. He averaged 39.62 in 47 Test innings scoring just 1585 runs. It seemed as if Sharma’s Test career was as good as over.
Rohit Sharma found an opening as an opener:
In the last throw of dice, the Indian team management asked Sharma to open the innings in Tests too and he hasn’t looked back since then. Sharma has scored 981 runs as a Test opener averaging a brilliant 65.4. This has helped his overall career average to jump up to 46.65. Sharma will surely love to improve upon his numbers even more before he hangs up his boots.
Virat Kohli’s reign at the Test level:
Test cricket has always been Kohli’s priority even while he was ruling limited-overs cricket. He didn’t have a single double century until 2016 and from then on, he has scored 7 double centuries. Kohli is one of the few modern batsmen who has scored Test centuries in all the SENA countries.
His conversion rate is the best in the business. Kohli has 25 fifties and 27 centuries to his name. He faced a tough series in England in 2014 wherein he scored 134 runs in 10 innings averaging 13.4. But he put that series behind him and has emerged to be a modern-day batting great. Kohli has scored 7490 runs in 90 Tests averaging a brilliant 52.75!
India’s 2 Biggest ODI giants!
Rohit Sharma found his calling in ODI’s when he was asked to open in the Champions Trophy in 2013. Sharma since then has become an ODI legend. No opener has scored more runs than Sharma in ODI’s since June 2013. He has smashed 7148 runs as an opener in 138 innings averaging 58.11.
Sharma is the only batsman who has scored 3 double centuries. He is the only batsman to have scored 5 centuries in a single World Cup. He is an ODI monster, Rohit Sharma!
Virat Kohli is arguably the best ODI batsmen of all time. His numbers are a testimony to the claim. Kohli has scored 12040 runs in 251 matches averaging a jaw-dropping 59.31. He has scored 43 centuries and is just 6 short of Sachin Tendulkar’s 49 ODI centuries record.
What makes Kohli special is the fact that there isn’t much to choose between his home and away numbers. He averages 60.81 in 92 innings at home scoring 19 centuries while his away average is 58.33 scoring 24 centuries. His ODI numbers are unmatchable!
T20I’s favourites:
Rohit Sharma burst onto the scene in the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. He made valuable contributions against South Africa, Australia, and Pakistan. Sharma caught the attention of the world with his batting exploits. He strikes at 138.72 while averaging 32.62. Sharma is the only batsmen to have scored 4 centuries in the T20I format. He holds the record for the joint-fastest century in this format. He will be crucial to India’s chances in the upcoming T20I World Cup.
Virat Kohli is the only batsman in the world who averages above 50 across all the formats. His average is a stunning 50.48 while he strikes at 138.44. Kohli is the only cricketer to have won the Man of the Series award consecutively in two back-to-back World Cups (2014 and 2016). His form is critical for India to stake a claim for the T20I World Cup.
Verdict: Numbers are well and truly in favour of King Kohli but Sharma has evolved as a reliable match-winner for India especially in the last couple of years. India is blessed to have two modern batting superstars on their side. It’s time we celebrate their presence and not question or put down the other.
