Former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers was slammed by fans for calling Virat Kohli better than Sachin Tendulkar. He has issued a clarification over his statement.

AB de Villiers and Kohli are close friends and have shared the dressing room for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League.

“Sachin Tendulkar was the first sub-continent batter to score runs on bouncy and fast tracks in overseas matches. He was not as strong as Virat Kohli. But he showed the world that batters from the sub-continent can score runs in seaming conditions. Virat Kohli took that forward and raised the bar. KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal are following the same trend,” he had said.

Following massive flak, the veteran was forced to issue a clarification, saying he looked at it from a different perspective.

“My comment on Sachin and Virat created confusion. I was not dropping anyone. I was telling things from my viewpoint. Sachin was the first India batter who showed the young players how to score runs consistently across the globe. Virat showed a different dynamic, and he played the short ball better. He found ways to counter challenges,” AB de Villiers said.

He also lauded India batters Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel for their performances in the Test series against Sri Lanka.

Virat Kohli played balanced cricket, says AB de Villiers

Although Sachin Tendulkar had better numbers than Virat Kohli in away Test matches, AB de Villiers feels the current India player had a game to amass runs in overseas conditions.

He clarified that Kohli led from the front and laid the foundation for the other batters to score big.

“We can always say Virat’s stats were not great abroad because he failed in England. But I think he played balanced cricket and achieved success, inspiring youngsters. He learned from Sachin and took it forward. His record is not as good as Sachin’s in overseas matches, but I don’t look at stats. He inspired the young players and taught them the importance of fitness. He led by example, having the game to dominate the rivals,” AB de Villiers said.

In away Tests, Sachin scored 8705 runs at an average of 54.74 while Kohli managed 4774 runs at an average of 41.51.

However, Virat wanted India to win Tests at any cost and even went hard in run chases despite knowing the consequences. Kohli’s winning mentality led India to success against big rivals.