“God of Cricket” is a title reserved for the best of the best players. Sachin Tendulkar, who played Indian cricket for 24 years, was crowned with this title by 1.4 billion people in India. However, eras do come to end, while times change and a new player emerges to outperform the previous ones.
However, the God of Cricket is a title suited upon a player who can never be criticised. If there is a new god of cricket, he must have the same influence and status as the current player Sachin Tendulkar, who has more than 34k runs, 100 centuries, and around 24 years of playing experience.
At the moment, few people can match his legacy and become cricket’s new god. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma might be contenders for the crown. However, Virat Kohli is the favourite for the title.
Sachin Tendulkar was the God of Cricket
In this legendary sport, only one person has genuinely earned the title “God of Cricket.” This cemented title is associated with the legendary Indian batsman Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar.
Sachin known for his amazing consistency and passion for the sport where he ruled international cricket for nearly 24 years and breaking numerous records throughout his career.
Sachin’s record speaks itself as he is with 100 international centuries and almost 34,000 runs where his contribution to the game is unparalleled. He is the all-time leading international cricket run scorer and the only player to have achieved 100 international hundreds.
These achievements show his outstanding ability to play under pressure and strengthen his status as the original “God of Cricket.”.
Sachin Tendulkar’s International Cricket Record
- Tests: Matches – 200, Runs – 15,921, Highest – 248*, Average – 53.78, 100s – 51, 50s – 68
- ODI: Matches – 463, Runs – 18,426, Highest – 200*, Average – 44.83, 100s – 49, 50s – 96
- T20I: Matches – 1, Runs – 10, Highest – 10, Average – 10, 100s – 0, 50s – 0
Virat Kohli is the new God of Cricket
Sachin Tendulkar has earned the ‘God of Cricket’ from his followers, while Virat Kohli came to be hailed as the ‘new God of Cricket’. Virat Kohli, the former captain of the Indian cricket team, has emerged as a title contender and has become the ‘new God of cricket’ due to his extraordinary achievements in the sport since his international debut in 2008.
Virat Kohli in his early cricket career
Virat Kohli made his international debut against Sri Lanka in August 2008, following a brilliant period of under-19 side where he led his team to victory in the 2008 under-19 World Cup. After struggling initially, Kohli scored his first international century against Sri Lanka in 2009.
In 2010 he was India’s best ODI run-getter with 995 runs in 25 matches with an average of 47.38. He scored three hundreds and seven fifties as it became his breakthrough year, he was named to the ICC World Cup 15-man squad in 2011. Virat Kohli was team India’s best run-scorer in ODIs from 2010 to 2016.
Virat Kohli during his Captaincy
It’s not easy to replace MS Dhoni as the captain of the Indian team, but Virat Kohli accepted the task and led the team to great success.
Virat scored in three figures in the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in December 2014 and also, he became the fourth Indian to achieve a century on his Test leadership debut.
Between 2014 and 2022, Kohli led India in 68 Test matches, winning 40 and losing just 17. Under Virat Kohli, the Indian cricket team also turned into one of the most dreaded opponents to play against in limited-overs matches.
India has won 30 of the 50 T20Is and 65 of the 95 ODIs, leading in an era of unmatched domination in world cricket.
During this time, he also became the fastest Indian to score 1000, 5000, 6000, 7000, 8000, 9000, and 10,000 runs in one-day internationals, as well as the leading run-scorer in T20 internationals. In addition, he had the greatest T20I average.
Virat Kohli International Cricket Stats:
- Test: Matches – 104, Runs – 8,119, Avg – 48.90, 50s – 28, 100s – 27, HS – 254*
- ODI: Matches – 271, Runs – 12,809, Avg – 57.69, 50s – 64, 100s – 46, HS – 183
- T20I: Matches – 115, Runs – 4,008, Avg – 52.73, 50s – 37, 100s – 1, HS – 122*
Virat Kohli, currently aged 35 is now one of the best batters for India across all formats of the game. The fandom he enjoys not only in India but has become the ambassador of the game globally. His name, just like Sachin Tendulkar’s name is parallelled with the popularity of Cricket globally. India continues to promote such greats of the game who then go down to become the fans’ favorite and even considered the new god of cricket in their respective generations.
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