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AB de Villiers believes Virat Kohli took India’s batting success in overseas Test cricket to another level, while crediting Sachin Tendulkar for first showing that Indian batters could thrive in conditions traditionally considered difficult for players from the subcontinent.The former South Africa batter and Kohli’s ex-Royal Challengers Bengaluru teammate was speaking after India’s 165-run victory over Sri Lanka in Galle on Wednesday.De Villiers acknowledged Tendulkar’s pioneering role but argued that Kohli went a step further in establishing himself as an outstanding overseas Test batter.“I think of someone like Sachin Tendulkar way back, who started that trend for India. Yet, he wasn’t as strong as someone like Virat Kohli, who was even better. But Sachin was the first guy to show that as a subcontinent batter, you can do well in bouncy and seaming conditions. Virat took that forward and raised the bar,” said de Villiers on his YouTube channel.Tendulkar remains the highest run-scorer in Test cricket, having accumulated 15,921 runs in 200 matches before retiring in 2013. Kohli, who retired from Test cricket in May 2025, ended his career with 9,230 runs in 123 Tests, placing him 19th on the all-time list.The statistics, however, suggest Tendulkar still holds the edge when it comes to performances away from home. Of his 15,921 Test runs, 8,705 came outside India, accounting for around 55% of his total. He is also the leading run-scorer among batters in overseas Test cricket.Kohli scored 4,774 runs in 66 Tests outside India.The comparison remains in Tendulkar’s favour even when the focus is restricted to SENA countries: South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia. Tendulkar amassed 5,387 runs in 63 Tests in those countries at an average of 51.30, including 17 centuries and 23 fifties.Kohli, meanwhile, scored 3,661 runs in 46 Tests in SENA conditions at an average of 42.08, with 12 centuries and 14 fifties.De Villiers’ assessment therefore appears to focus less on the raw numbers and more on Kohli’s wider influence on Indian Test cricket. During Kohli’s tenure, India established itself as a formidable side overseas, setting higher expectations for performances outside home conditions.According to de Villiers, that influence has carried into the current generation, with batters such as KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal following the path laid by Tendulkar and Kohli.“Because of that, there are quite a few players now like [KL] Rahul and [Devdutt] Padikkal, who have started to up that trend and follow in the footsteps of a Virat and a Sachin,” he added.De Villiers did, however, identify overseas batting as an area where Rahul needs to improve. Despite praising the Karnataka batter’s technique and importance to the Indian side, he pointed out that Rahul averages only 34 away from home.“KL is a guy with a sound technique and is a big asset in that Indian lineup. But he averages only 34 away from home. So you’ll expect more and that is one area where he has to work on. He has to get bigger scores once he gets in and not just get a 100 but make it a 180 because that first-ball duck and getting out to the newish ball is always around the corner. So for him, the name of the game will be to make the big scores even bigger,” said de Villiers.De Villiers’ comments come as India look to build on their Galle victory and continue developing a new generation of batters capable of maintaining the country’s strong record in challenging overseas conditions.
