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Former India cricketer-turned-commentator Sanjay Manjrekar believes Virat Kohli should be rated higher than legendary Sachin Tendulkar when it comes to run chases. Manjerkar said it is the one major difference between Kohli and his idol Tendulkar.
"One major difference between the two is that I think Virat Kohli is a better chaser than Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar liked batting first and Tendulkar perhaps was a certainty that he was not going to get out against the new ball. But, its about winning matches," Manjrekar said on Star Sports.
"Virat will have a number of matches where he has chased down the target and has stayed on till the end. Tendulkar has a few matches but not the numbers that Virat Kohli has. But apart from that Tendulkar had everything. But one area where Virat Kohli is better than the God of Cricket is chasing runs," he added.
The batters are from two different eras and it is often said that they shouldn't be compared. Kohli was rising in the ranks when Tendulkar was in his twilight areas. Two new balls were used from each end after Tendulkar retired which led to higher scores in ODIs.
Kohli ahead of Tendulkar in successful run chases
The 'Master Blaster' is still by far the highest run-scorer in the format with 18,426 runs to his name compared to Kohli who recently crossed the 14,000-run mark. However, Kohli is ahead of Tendulkar when it comes to successful run chase. The 36-year-old has scored 5,913 runs from 99 innings at an average of 89.59, including 24 centuries and 25 fifties in successful run chases. On the other hand, Tendulkar has scored 5,490 runs from 124 innings at an average of 55.45, including 14 centuries and 31 half-centuries in successful run chases.
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Kohli regains form
The veteran batter scored an unbeaten 100 in the run chase against Bangladesh in Dubai. India won the game with plenty of overs to spare. He will be seen in action in the last group stage clash of ICC Champions Trophy 2025 against New Zealand on March 2.
Meanwhile, Tendulkar is leading the Indian side in the International Masters League T20 2025. The hosts will take on South Africa Masters on March 1.
