AB de Villiers says Virat Kohli was better than Sachin Tendulkar in Test cricket

South African batting legend AB de Villiers has made a striking comparison between Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar, two of India's greatest Test batsmen. De Villiers assessed their respective contributions to Indian cricket and their ability to perform in challenging overseas conditions. The remarks came as India defeated Sri Lanka by 165 runs in Galle on August 19, 2026.

He highlighted the significance of both players in establishing a template for success in bouncy and seaming conditions away from home.

"I think of someone like Sachin Tendulkar way back, who started that trend for India. Yet, he wasn’t as strong as someone like Virat Kohli, who was even better. But Sachin was the first guy to show that as a subcontinent batter, you can do well in bouncy and seaming conditions. Virat took that forward and raised the bar," Villiers said on his YouTube channel.

Overseas Test records of Kohli and Tendulkar

Tendulkar accumulated 15,921 Test runs across 200 matches before retiring in 2013. Of those runs, 8,705 came outside India, representing 55 percent of his total Test tally and establishing him as the leading run-scorer in overseas Test cricket. Kohli retired from Test cricket in May 2025 with 9,230 runs in 123 Tests and ranks 19th on the all-time Test runs list. Kohli scored 4,774 runs in 66 Tests outside India.

The contrast in their overseas Test records becomes sharper when examining their performance in SENA countries, which comprise South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia. Tendulkar accumulated 5,387 runs in 63 Tests in SENA conditions with an average of 51.30, including 17 centuries and 23 fifties. Kohli scored 3,661 runs in 46 Tests in SENA conditions with an average of 42.08, including 12 centuries and 14 fifties.

KL Rahul's challenge in away conditions

De Villiers noted that the influence of Tendulkar and Kohli extends to the current generation of Indian batsmen. He observed that players such as KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal are following the path established by the two greats in overseas Test cricket.

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However, de Villiers highlighted that Rahul has not yet matched the standards set by his predecessors in away conditions.

"KL is a guy with a sound technique and is a big asset in that Indian lineup. But he averages only 34 away from home. So you’ll expect more and that is one area where he has to work on. He has to get bigger scores once he gets in and not just get a 100 but make it a 180 because that first-ball duck and getting out to the newish ball is always around the corner. So for him, the name of the game will be to make the big scores even bigger," Villiers concluded.