'Pass on the weed, brother' - Dodda Ganesh mocks AB de Villiers over Sachin Tendulkar-Virat Kohli comparison

A remark by former South Africa batter AB de Villiers about Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli drew a sharp public response on social media, with former India fast bowler Dodda Ganesh posting a blunt dismissal. De Villiers made the comments on his YouTube channel around August 20, 2026, shortly after India's 165-run win over Sri Lanka in the first Test at Galle on August 19, 2026.

De Villiers argued that Tendulkar was the first subcontinent batter to prove that runs could be scored in bouncy and seaming conditions overseas, but that Kohli went further.

"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," said De Villiers on his YouTube channel.

Ganesh, who played for India as a fast bowler and faced both batters during his career, responded directly to De Villiers's remarks. He wrote, 'Pass on the weed, brother', signalling his clear disagreement with the view that Kohli was superior to Tendulkar in overseas and seam-friendly conditions.

AB de Villiers: Kohli better than Sachin in Tests

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AB de Villiers: Kohli better than Sachin in Tests

What De Villiers said about current lot of cricketers?

De Villiers also pointed to KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal as players following in the footsteps of both Tendulkar and Kohli in overseas conditions. He noted that Rahul averages only 34 away from home and needs to convert his starts into bigger scores overseas.

"Because of that, there are quite a few players now like [KL] Rahul and [Devdutt] Padikkal, who have started to up that trend and follow in the footsteps of a Virat and a Sachin," said De Villiers.

How the overseas Test numbers compare?

In Tests played in SENA nations, Tendulkar scored 5,387 runs in 63 Tests at an average of 51.30, including 17 centuries and 23 fifties. Kohli managed 3,661 runs from 46 Tests at an average of 42.08, with 12 centuries and 14 fifties. Across all Tests, Tendulkar finished as the highest run-scorer in the format with 15,921 runs in 200 matches, while Kohli ended his Test career in May 2025 with 9,230 runs in 123 matches.

De Villiers played against both batters during his 14-year international career and was also a Royal Challengers Bengaluru teammate of Kohli in the IPL. Tendulkar played Tests from 1989 to 2013, while Kohli's last Test appearance came in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25.