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The leadership group of the Indian cricket team, captain Virat Kohli and vice-captain Rohit Sharma form the cream of the top-order in white-ball cricket, along with Shikhar Dhawan.
The Indian top three is so strong that the middle-order seldom gets an opportunity to be tested, which is partially the reason for its brittleness.
Only the thought of Kohli and Rohit smacking deliveries to the boundaries in full flow is nauseating for the bowlers. Their records in tandem are the most considerable evidence of the fact.
Apart from numerous hundred runs partnership, the Kohli-Rohit duo has notched up 200+ runs partnerships on five occasions, most by any pair in ODIs.
One of the biggest masterstrokes from the former Indian captain, MS Dhoni, has been the promotion of Rohit on top of the order during the 2013 Champions Trophy. Since then, the ‘Hitman’ has been an entirely different player and has done exceptionally well batting in tandem with Virat.
Today, let’s scrutinize and compare their individual records since the 2013 Champions Trophy (CT):
Runs:
Post-2013 CT, Kohli has been in a perennial purple patch and has amassed a mind-boggling tally of 7813 runs in 144 games. However, Rohit has chased him run for run, by scoring 7050 runs in 134 games.
Average:
Kohli holds a Bradmanesque average of 66.21 runs since 2013 CT, while Rohit is a close second to Virat, with an impressive average of 59.74. The numbers above are the greatest testimonials to their consistency.
The two have laid down new benchmarks in batting. Gone are those days when an average of 40+ was considered superb.
Strike Rate:
Rohit is known for hitting maximums with ease and scoring daddy hundreds. There’s no stopping him at the death, provided he stays there for long.
However, it is Virat again who trumps past Rohit in terms of strike rate. King Kohli holds a strike-rate of 97.54, while Rohit has scored 92.64 runs per hundred balls.
Hundreds and Fifties:
Since the tournament in England back in 2013, Rohit has matched Kohli ton for ton, as the former scored 27 centuries to the Chasemasters tally of 30 centuries. VK, with 36 half-centuries, also has a better record of 50+ scores when compared to Rohit, who has 30 fifties under his belt.
Boundaries:
There’s no comparison to the Hitman when it comes to maximums as Rohit has a ridiculous 220 hits over the rope, while Kohli has just 98 sixes.
Moreover, when it comes to fours, Kohli edges past Rohit again, with a tally of 734 fours, to the Mumbaikar’s count of 668 fours.
Ducks:
Undesirably, Virat, with six ducks, yet again has the better count of ducks when compared to Rohit, who has five ducks to his name.
Conclusion:
The numbers above are astronomical, and two batsmen are in a different league altogether. All in all, India is blessed to have the greatest batsmen to have featured in ODI cricket, and it would be unfair to compare them based on these numbers.
