AB de Villiers vs Virat Kohli - Better Test Batsman

[anil1405]

Who is the better test batsman amongst these two?

Yeah I understand Kohli's career isn't done yet but his slump from Jan 2020 to present (Feb 2023) has been pretty bad. So as it stands who is better?

 

[Chrish]

ABDV pretty clearly. And I say this as someone who didn’t even like ABDV the IPL cheerleader..

 

[Sunil1z]

If you asked me in 2019, I would have said Kohli. Now it’s clearly ABD.

 

[Patience and Accuracy+Gut]

De Villiers.But they are close.Not much of difference imo.

 

[subshakerz]

Kohli but maybe another year of the drought then ABD.

 

[subshakerz]

ABD averaged 50 yes while his career coincided with flattening of pitches everywhere. I think it gives him a 2-3 points average boost.

 

[Socerer 01]

ABD did bat for some time as a keeper and for some time as opener for which should be taken into consideration. he also batted mainly in SA which wasn’t flat compared to the 2000 roads

 

[anil1405]

Yeah these flat pitches discussion is neutralised or minimally goes in favour of South African batsmen irrespective of era.

 

[Howe_zat]

If you asked me in 2019, I would have said Kohli. Now it’s clearly ABD.

This is ridiculous. Someone failing to add to their achievements doesn't mean they retrospectively were worse.

 

[Socerer 01]

Kohli didn’t just fail to add to his achievements, he’s regressed

 

[subshakerz]

ABD did bat for some time as a keeper and for some time as opener for which should be taken into consideration. he also batted mainly in SA which wasn’t flat compared to the 2000 roads

ABD averages 47 in SA compared to 50 overall. Kohli also has done very well in SA.

 

[Socerer 01]

ABD averages 47 in SA compared to 50 overall. Kohli also has done very well in SA.

take that opening matches out and he averages 52, its over a significant sample size too

 

[BazBall21]

Kohli

 

[Ali TT]

A late career tear might help Kohli catch up with AB in tests, although he might need his home ground staff to be kinder with the wickets they produce.

For all their brilliance in the limited overs formats, both have severely underachievers in terms of titles.

 

[Bitmap]

If you asked me in 2019, I would have said Kohli. Now it’s clearly ABD.

This

 

[Socerer 01]

A late career tear might help Kohli catch up with AB in tests, although he might need his home ground staff to be kinder with the wickets they produce.

For all their brilliance in the limited overs formats, both have severely underachievers in terms of titles.

???

Kohli has a world cup and a champions trophy

 

[Starfighter]

This is ridiculous. Someone failing to add to their achievements doesn't mean they retrospectively were worse.

Is it ridiculous? I certainly don't see how @Sunil1z is rating Kohli as 'retrospectively worse'. His overall career has simply moved behind de Villiers' because of his failure to add to his achievement.

If you were viewing their overall careers I think it's a pretty reasonable view to have (and in fact I have the same opinion). I think it does show that there's danger in trying to compare careers when one is still a way off ending.

 

[Socerer 01]

the mistake was people rating Kohli based on the position he would have been in future with how good he was doing at that time. things don’t always work out in a linear fashion but this is a mistake most if not all of us make

 

[subshakerz]

the mistake was people rating Kohli based on the position he would have been in future with how good he was doing at that time. things don’t always work out in a linear fashion but this is a mistake most if not all of us make

Nobody was saying Kohli was confirmed ATG, but most were saying he was on the road to being one.

 

[Starfighter]

Nobody was saying Kohli was confirmed ATG, but most were saying he was on the road to being one.

You also tend not to expect players who have been as good as he was to fall off a cliff. His last four years have been way worse than late career Ponting for instance.