HAIL KOHLI THE GREAT

THE NEXT TENDULKAR

bat. It appeared as wide as a barn door as it caressed thousands of runs down the ground past the bowler.

Watching Kohli bat up close this summer is as close to replicating Tendulkar’s brilliance as I have seen.

Balance is the key to the success of the on drive. Both these men are as stable and as even as a spirit level, but as nimble as a gymnast.

They play the on drive against the fast men and equally as well off the spinners.

Equally as important and impressive is the fact that they can play this shot off the front or back foot. It is technical mastery.

The essence of great batting is built on four basic pillars: technique, balance, footwork and mental toughness.

It’s fair to say all four prerequisites of greatness are delivered in spades by these two Indian greats.

It beggars the question: who is better? It’s a debate that is raging now among sporting broadcasters.

It will continue to bubble with every game Kohli plays.

As his run tally mounts and his hundreds continue to flow in the coming years, the com- parisons will be impossible to ignore.

Tendulkar is the best pure batsman I have seen.

It is very real that Kohli in years to come will eclipse his unbelievable records and in retirement be considered at least the equal of Tendulkar, if not perched on a higher pedestal.

At this point now, as comparisons are being drawn, it is appropriate to consider their Test batting averages are identical at the elite end of the scale at 53.7.

Tendulkar scored 51 Test hundreds in 200 games. Kohli already has 25 centuries in just 77 games. At that conversion rate, Kohli will certainly gobble him up.

In the one-day arena, Kohli is miles ahead. His phenom- enal average of 59.7 is 15 runs better than Tendulkar and his strike rate six better at 92.

Kohli is only 10 centuries short of Tendulkar and played 245 fewer games in coloured clothes. In total, Tendulkar scored 100 international centuries across both formats and Kohli sits on 64. He is hunting him down.

These numbers are extraordinary and make me think Kohli will eventually go down in the history books as the greatest Indian batsman of all time. In fact he may well in time be considered the greatest batsman behind Sir Donald Bradman that has ever played the game.

Note: This article was written prior to the result at the MCG last night.