Comparative Analysis – Who is the ODI GOAT: Sachin Tendulkar or Virat Kohli?

Who is the ODI GOAT? Comparing Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli through stats, consistency, and influence across eras.

The title of ODI GOAT has increasingly become a point of debate, with opinions divided on whether Virat Kohli has inherited the mantle from Sachin Tendulkar, or whether Tendulkar remains the original benchmark of greatness in the format.

While Tendulkar is the highest run-getter in ODI history, Kohli has rewritten records as the leading century-maker in 50-over cricket. With Tendulkar retired for over a decade and Kohli still operating at his peak in ODIs, a comparative analysis of the two greats offers clearer context to the debate.

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Overall performance comparison

(All data used in the article are till January 17, 2026)

Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI career spanned 24 years, while Virat Kohli is currently in his 18th year at the international level. Tendulkar amassed a record 18,426 runs in ODIs at an average of 44.83. Kohli, meanwhile, has featured in 310 ODIs, scoring 14,673 runs at a remarkable average of 58.45. Kohli also leads the all-time century charts in the format with 53 hundreds, while Tendulkar retired with 49. However, Tendulkar still tops the lists for the most fours and sixes in ODIs.

Kohli’s superior average is largely aided by his ability to finish innings and remain unbeaten. He has been not out on 47 occasions in 310 ODIs, or roughly once every 6.5 innings. In comparison, Tendulkar remained unbeaten 41 times in 463 ODIs, or once every 11.29 innings. Kohli clearly gains an edge here, with his average of 58 underlining his consistency and explaining the high expectations for him to score at least a half-century whenever he walks out to bat.

Among active players, Kohli currently tops the list for the highest career batting average in ODIs, followed by New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell (56.73) and India’s Shubman Gill (56.34).

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Home records

Kohli has gone past the legend in home conditions, averaging an impressive 61.86 with 26 centuries, compared to Tendulkar’s average of 48.11 with 20 hundreds. In terms of aggregate runs, Kohli is just a touch over 200 runs away from surpassing Tendulkar.

Away & neutral venue records

Tendulkar holds the edge over Kohli in this contest in terms of runs. He amassed 11,450 runs, with 29 centuries and 58 half-centuries in 299 matches, while Kohli has aggregated 7,930 runs, including 27 hundreds and 41 fifties. The numbers underline how both batters were as effective in away and neutral conditions as they were at home.

However, Kohli enjoys a clear advantage in terms of average, scoring at 52.51 compared to Tendulkar’s 41.94. Kohli’s ability to drop anchor, bat deep and finish games while remaining unbeaten has significantly boosted his average. More importantly, it has often allowed India to close out matches, translating his presence at the crease into victories.

Performances in victories

There is no denying that both greats’ performances were closely tied to the team’s success. Sixty per cent of Tendulkar’s career ODI runs came in victories, while Kohli scored 72 per cent of his runs in winning causes, underlining how decisive their contributions were to India’s fortunes.

However, Kohli enjoys a clear edge when it comes to converting centuries into wins. A remarkable 44 of his 53 ODI hundreds (around 83 per cent) have resulted in India’s victories. In comparison, 33 of Tendulkar’s 49 centuries (around 67 per cent) came in matches India went on to win.

Kohli is now less than 500 runs away from overtaking Tendulkar’s tally of runs scored in winning causes. He also averages 75.82 in such matches, nearly 20 runs higher than Tendulkar’s, reinforcing his reputation as a finisher who sees games through.

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Performances in victories when batting first

The two greats are statistically close in this analysis. Tendulkar averages 57.82, while Kohli averages slightly higher at 61.95. Tendulkar has 19 centuries, while Kohli has struck 20 hundreds in winning causes while batting first. However, Tendulkar still has over 1,000 more runs than Kohli.

Performances in victories when chasing

It is while chasing that Kohli pulls clear not just of Tendulkar, but of every other ODI great. Kohli averages a staggering 90.28 while chasing, with 24 centuries, compared to Tendulkar’s average of 55.45 and 14 hundreds. Kohli thrives on finishing chases and staying unbeaten. Of his 28 centuries while batting second, 24 have come in victories, which explains why he is widely regarded as the ‘Chase Master’. Tendulkar, meanwhile, scored 17 centuries while chasing, with 14 of them ending in wins.

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Performance in tournament finals

If Kohli is the ‘Chase Master’, then Tendulkar is the master of ODI finals. Tendulkar consistently raised his game in deciders, averaging 54.44 with six centuries and ten fifties across 40 ODI finals. In comparison, Kohli averages 23.22 with a solitary fifty in 11 ODI finals. Tendulkar amassed 1,851 runs in such matches, while Kohli is yet to cross the 300-run mark.

Performance as skipper cum batter

Kohli was a captain who led from the front. He raised his game while leading the side, averaging 72.65 with 21 centuries and 37 fifties. In comparison, Tendulkar could not quite deliver to expectations as captain, averaging 37.75 with six centuries and 12 fifties.

Fastest to milestones

Tendulkar began his ODI career as a middle-order batter. It was only after an injury to first-choice opener Navjot Singh Sidhu that he was promoted to the top of the order, a move that first revealed his full ODI prowess. Tendulkar announced himself as an opener with a blazing 82 off 49 balls against New Zealand in 1994. There was no looking back after that, as he went on to open throughout his career and scale milestone after milestone, eventually crossing 18,000 ODI runs.

However, Kohli has once again eclipsed Tendulkar in terms of speed to major landmarks. He is the fastest to reach 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 ODI runs, and is also on course to surpass Tendulkar as the quickest to 15,000 runs. Kohli needs just 327 more runs to get there and has played only 310 ODIs so far — 67 fewer than Tendulkar required to reach the same mark.

Final Verdict: Who is ODI GOAT among Sachin & Virat?
The two batters are undisputed legends of the format. Sachin Tendulkar played in an era where fast bowlers were menacing, quick and genuinely threatening, while Virat Kohli dominated a phase when T20 cricket — where the bat often rules the roost — was gaining prominence. Tendulkar batted aggressively at a time when ODI batting largely followed a Test-match template of building an innings. Kohli, on the other hand, approached the format like an architect, constructing his innings brick by brick and taking it upon himself to bat India to the finish line.

The eras were different, the bowling attacks varied, and the styles of play evolved when the two greats played. Hence, comparing them purely on statistics would not be a fair judgement of their overall contribution to the format. Tendulkar carried the burden of India’s batting for a large part of his career, while Kohli carried that legacy forward. In that sense, both remain the ODI GOATs of their respective eras.

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