AB de Villiers isn’t the kind of guy who backtracks under pressure and his latest YouTube video proves it. His earlier claim that Virat Kohli was a tougher batter than Sachin Tendulkar when playing outside India didn’t go down well with everyone and one former Indian cricketer even took a cheeky dig, telling him to “pass on whatever he’s smoking”. But instead of walking it back, ABD used his new video to clarify, not retract his stance.
AB de Villiers started by acknowledging the confusion his comment caused but was quick to remind everyone it was simply his personal take, not a factual declaration. According to him, Sachin Tendulkar was the trailblazer, the one who first showed Indian cricketers what it took to succeed consistently across the world. Virat Kohli, he said, built on that foundation and added something new: the ability to master the short ball, something he feels changed the way Indian batting was perceived globally.
The numbers, though, tell a slightly different story. Sachin Tendulkar scored 54.6% of his Test runs away from home, compared to Virat Kohli’s 51.7%. Sachin also maintained an average above 40 in every one of the nine countries he played Tests in outside India. Kohli, on the other hand, never quite cracked England, averaging just 33.21 across 17 Tests there.
AB de Villiers, however, isn’t fussed about the stats. He believes numbers don’t capture the full picture. He admitted Kohli’s overseas record isn’t as strong as that of Sachin, especially in England, but argued that Virat still played with confidence and brought a complete, balanced game that’s essential for succeeding abroad. In his eyes, Kohli took the lessons he learned from Sachin and pushed them further, inspiring a whole generation in the process and for him, that matters more than raw statistics.
Having played alongside Virat Kohli at Royal Challengers Bengaluru, AB de Villiers also spoke about his influence on younger players. He praised Virat’s fitness, his leadership by example, and his all-around skill set, handling short balls well, leaving deliveries smartly, and running sharply between the wickets. He specifically pointed to Kohli’s strong performances in Australia and said that, across the world, he found Virat Kohli’s consistency to be genuinely remarkable.
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