'...did not have to play IPL': Age-old Tendulkar vs Kohli debate creeps up again after drawn 4th Test

Virat Kohli scored his 75th international century when he scored 186 in the fourth Test between India and Australia.

Virat Kohli scored his first Test century in over three years during the drawn fourth Test between India and Australia. It was Kohli's 75th international century overall, helping him pull farther away from Australia great Ricky Ponting as the second highest century scorer in the history of international cricket and inching him closer to Sachin Tendulkar's extraoardinary record of 100 centuries.

Kohli drew comparions with Tendulkar for much of the early part of his career.

Much of the early part of Kohli's career, particularly in the years before and immediately after Tendulkar retired, was marked by comparisons between the two players. While it was always widely acknowledged that Tendulkar and Kohli were different kinds of batters, it was the prolific manner in which the latter accumulated runs that led to the comparisons.

They eventually died out as Kohli started beating his own path as India's captain and later, when the rush of runs and centuries came to an abrupt halt after 2019. Kohli's last Test century in November 2019 was also his only international century until September 2022, when he scored his first ever T20I century. Since then, he went on a run of three ODI centuries in four matches and finally crossed over into three figures in Test cricket this week.

Former Australia spinner Brad Hogg has stated that comparisons between Tendulkar and Kohli are invalidated even more now considering Kohli's trajectory over the past three years which included him dealing with the challenges that came with the Covid-19 pandemic and the rather tumultous end to his captaincy in limited overs cricket.

"Hopefully, we see the best of Kohli again. I think that there was too much pressure on Kohli in the last 2-3 years. The COVID, captaincy, and more cricket being played," said Hogg on his Youtube channel. "Don't compare him with Sachin Tendulkar, because he was able to play more Test matches, and did not have to play IPL for the most part of his career. I also think he is going to make a big one in the WTC Final as well."

Considered by many as the greatest batter of all time alongwith Australia legend Don Bradman, Tendulkar scored 15,921 runs in 200 Test matches at an average of 53.78 with 51 centuries. In ODIs, he scored 18,426 runs at an average of 44.83 in 463 matches with 49 centuries. Tendulkar only played one T20 international, in which he got out for 10 runs but captained Mumbai Indians in the initial years of the IPL. He played 96 T20 games, scoring 2797 runs at an average of 32.90 and strike rate of 121.08 with one century.

On the other hand, Kohli has played scored 8416 runs in 108 Test matches at an average of 48.93 with 28 centuries. In ODIs, he has scored a 12,809 runs in 271 matches at an averge of 57.69 with 46 centuries. Kohli has played 115 T20Is for India, scoring 4008 runs at an average of 52.73 and strike rate of 137.96.