5 reasons why it is unfair to compare Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli

After leading India to the U19 World Cup 2008 in Malaysia, Virat Kohli was considered as the next big thing in the Indian cricket circuit. But not many would have thought that he'd be dominating the world cricket within a decade. The current Indian skipper has worked hard on his game and fitness to become a modern day master. Infact, he has made a habit of breaking records for fun every time he steps on to the field. And naturally, he is being compared to the other greats of the game.

When you wish to find out how good something really is, you pick the absolute best as a reference. And in the cricketing world, there is no bigger name than Sachin Tendulkar. Looking at their record, one may suggest that Virat has an edge over the Little Master. But as they often say, stats may be misguiding at times. This doesn't mean that we should consider Kohli inferior to the great man, but the comparison should be avoided in the first place. Here are the reasons why.

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#1 Sachin has already retired after playing for about 24 years and Kohli is still playing the game (10 years and counting)

Sachin with the trophy - 2011 ICC World Cup

Sachin Tendulkar had an extremely well-decorated career expanding over two decades. When the Little Master decided to hang his boots, he was arguably the best batsman to have ever played the game. And as one would imagine, his career had everything. Staggering numbers, some daunting lows, injuries and even some slight taste of controversies.

But if we look at it on the whole, it was almost perfect and nothing less than a dream. A debut at mere 16, bashing world renowned bowlers at will, being at the pinnacle of the rankings many times and winning the World Cup with many individual records as well.

On the contrary, Virat Kohli is still playing the game. Looking at his fitness, it is safe enough to say that he may have only reached the half way mark in terms of active years. He too has had a great journey until now. He is considered as the best batsman of his era. He also has had his share of failures and controversies. But he looks to be heading towards the right direction.

If he continues performing the same way, he might even surpass the Little Master in terms of records. But he still has a long way to go and as they say, anything is possible in our game.

A career can be fully examined only after it is over. So even if we wish to make a comparison between the two, it must only be done after Kohli's retirement. Till then, we can enjoy watching him showcase his ever-growing abilities.

#2 The two have not played against the same oppositions that much

Sachin and Virat in action together

When you wish to compare people, you subject them to similar conditions and observe the results. Similarly, in order to determine which batsman is better of the two, we look at the way they performed against a particular opposition. Virat and Sachin have faced entirely different oppositions, thanks to the difference in their ages. So, one can't really predict which one of the two is better.

Although the two have played together, but the sample space for making a comparison is way too small. Moreover, at the time they did manage to bat alongside, Sachin was well past his prime and Kohli was yet to establish himself as the best. Again, not an ideal situation to make a comparison.

We can give theories about which one faced tougher oppositions. So, it won't be fair to compare the two based on some hypothesis.

#3 The difference in the two eras

Tendulkar and long time rival McGrath

Yes, the two did manage to play together for a few games, but the modern day cricket is way too different from the times when Sachin was at his absolute best. There are many noticeable differences and not all of them are in the favour of a batsman.

The bats have become huge, more importance is being given to limited overs cricket, in ODIs we are using two different balls, the rules for field restrictions along with several other rules are different now, the standard of fielding has risen to a completely different level, fitness has become a major requirement like never before and the use of technology within the dressing rooms has increased significantly. In short, cricket has become a more professional sport.

The smaller grounds and larger bats do help the batsmen, but at the same time, the involvement of technology in the game can really expose the weakness of a particular batsman. So the two different times had completely different challenges and it will be unfair to rate a period as easier than the other.

#4 The two are completely different types of characters

Virat Kohli celebrating a wicket

Both Virat and Sachin have a lot of things in common. They both are national heroes, representing their country on the global level and inspiring a lot of other youngsters. The two are responsible for guiding the Indian Cricket Team to various victories. But their ways of going about the business are completely different.

It is a well known fact that Virat Kohli bats with his heart on his sleeve. He is not shy in letting the entire world, including the opposition, know how he is feeling between the sticks. On the other hand Sachin Tendulkar is a completely different type of cricketer. Throughout his career he let his bat do all the talking and he hardly showed any emotions.

There is nothing wrong with any of the two styles. What works for Sachin may not work for Kohli and vice-versa. Infact, this nature of Virat Kohli has allowed him to be a better captain than the Little Master. His willingness to be involved in the game at every point is the reason he is one of the most successful captains in World Cricket.

It is safe enough to say that the two gems of the Indian Cricket are two completely different personalities on the field. And comparisons between two contrasting people can't be done the right way.

#5 Virat himself considers Sachin as his role model

Sachin during his famous knock at Sharjah

Reacting to the comparisons, Virat Kohli has often ridiculed all the comparisons saying that Sachin is the main reason he started playing the game. For him Sachin Tendulkar was an inspiration, like many other youngsters throughout the country. He considers Sachin as the absolute best and has a lot of respect for the Master Blaster. He has often said that Sachin is unparalleled and can not be compared to anyone.

Well, this may look like a completely invalid point in this discussion. But actually it isn't. Virat Kohli is without any doubt one of the best batsmen of all time and his records show the same. He is actually carrying forward the legacy of his role model, Sachin Tendulkar.

When we look at two greats from different times, we can't stop ourselves from making the comparisons. But in this case we might think of make an exception based on all these reasons.