Kohli won't be able to challenge Sachin's Test records, feels Glenn McGrath

What’s the story?

Former Australian speedster Glenn McGrath has claimed that Virat Kohli, despite his supremely rich run of form, can’t challenge Sachin Tendulkar’s mighty records, at least in Test cricket. Speaking to Sportstar, the 46-year old said that although the Indian captain is an ‘exceptional’ player, “I don’t think anybody can beat Sachin’s record or get close”.

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Kohli has grown from strength to strength as a batsman over the years, more so in the longest format, in which he made his debut in 2011, almost three years after his first international appearance. The graph has acquired a tremendous rise, especially since he became the captain in the longest format after the sudden retirement of Virat Kohli.

In ODIs, he looks set to come close to Sachin’s records, having already stacked up 27 centuries, the fourth most by any batsman in ODIs.

The heart of the matter

While speaking about the upcoming India-Australia series, McGrath touched a number of aspects, mostly on the tourists’ performance in the last few years. He also spoke about India’s golden period in the early 2000s, claiming that the 2001 three-match series was the best of all time. He heaped praise on Harbhajan Singh’s performances on that tour, stating that the Indian tweaker really made the ball turn and bounce.

While speaking about Virat Kohli, the Australian legend said that he is the best batsman in the game, and his team has done well in the last few months, but they’ll have to stand out in tough situations. Yet, he was quick to state that Kohli won’t be able to break Sachin’s records, at least in Test matches. In exactly 200 Tests, Sachin scored 15,921 runs, with as many as 51 centuries to his credit.

What’s next?

The choc-a-bloc schedule, coupled with the increasing impetus to ODIs and T20Is, has limited Test matches’ imprint on world cricket. With new leagues cropping up everywhere, and a World T20 every two years, big Test series’ are increasingly becoming a rarity.

Recently, South Africa captain Faf du Plessis had conceded that Hashim Amla could be the last from his country to play 100 Tests, especially because of the way the game is changing.

Sportskeeda’s take

With the diminishing quantity of Test matches, it’ll be a tall task for Kohli to come even close to Sachin’s huge Test numbers. In 53 Tests, Kohli has 4209 runs, averaging just a shade over 50. Recently, he himself confessed that he might not be able to play as long as Sachin did. Even if he plays at the peak of his game for the next decade, scoring more than 11,000 runs, or scoring 35 hundreds, will take loads of mental strength and top fitness.