Kohli vs Sachin: Who Is Better In Champions Trophy After 14 Innings?

Virat Kohli hit his maiden century in Champions Trophy history after he smashed an unbeaten 100 in 111 balls in the match against Pakistan. The Champions Trophy was the only ICC event where the Indian maestro had not hit a century. Now that he has achieved that feat also, a comparison with probably the greatest batter of all time, Sachin Tendulkar, is inevitable. 

Sachin played a total of 16 matches in the 50-over tournament between 1998 and 2009. Now that Kohli too has batted in 14 innings (15 matches) between 2009 and 2015, it is only apt that we settle the debate as to who is the best when it comes to the Champions Trophy. 

We judge them on comparable parameters, such as average, strike rate, runs, fifties, centuries and boundaries. 

Virat Kohli vs Sachin Tendulkar Champions Trophy Runs

Kohli has scored 651 runs in his 14 innings while Tendulkar scored 441. In terms of being on the list of top-run-getters in Champions Trophy history, Kohli is at the seventh position while Tendulkar is at 20th. 

Kohli vs Sachin Champions Trophy Average

In terms of batting average, Kohli is at another level altogether. Since he has gotten out only seven times, he has an average of 93. Tendulkar, on the other hand, has got out 12 times, and therefore he averages 36.75. In terms of the best averages in the tournament’s history, Kohli is at the top in terms of batters with at least 300 runs in the tournament. 

Kohli vs Sachin Champions Trophy Strike Rate

While Kohli has a strike rate of 90.2 in the tournament, Tendulkar batted with a strike rate of 78.8. That being said, the eras in which they played are not comparable, so the strike rate comparison would be too harsh on Tendulkar. Shikhar Dhawan of India has the best strike rate in the tournament's history among batters with at least 400 runs in the tournament. 

Sachin vs Kohli Champions Trophy Centuries 

Here both Tendulkar and Kohli are at the same level with one century each. However, the Master Blaster’s century was a bigger one as he scored 141 against Australia, in what was his maiden Champions Trophy innings in 1998. Kohli’s 100* came in what is so far his most recent CT innings, against Pakistan. 

Sachin vs Kohli Champions Trophy Fifties

While both Tendulkar and Kohli have only one century each, in terms of fifties, the modern-day great from Delhi races away with five against the Mumbaikar’s lonely one that came against New Zealand in 2000. Among the batters with most fifties in the tournament’s history, Kohli is at joint second with Mahela Jayawardene. Rahul Dravid is at the top with six fifties to his name in the tournament. 

Sachin Tendulkar vs Virat Kohli Champions Trophy Boundaries

Last but not least, when it comes to boundaries, Kohli once again leads with 69 boundaries compared to Sachin’s 56. In terms of sixes, Kohli (8) has hit just one more than Sachin (7). However, Kohli has 61 fours compared to Sachin’s 49. 

Chris Gayle of the West Indies leads the overall chart with 116 boundaries. Out of that, Gayle hit 101 fours and 15 sixes.