Aakash Chopra, the former cricketer turned commentator has compared Indian skipper Virat Kohli and New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson as batsmen by delving deep into their records across formats. He shared the comparison through a video shared on his YouTube channel.
Team India will face New Zealand in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, starting at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton on June 18. Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson will not only lead their sides in the summit clash but are also the batting mainstays of their respective outfits.
Aakash Chopra commented that he would initially rely on numbers while comparing the duo of Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson to help him make an informed decision. The cricketer-turned-commentator observed that Kane Williamson just pips Virat Kohli in terms of their Test numbers for having a superior batting average.
“If we see Kane Williamson’s Test career, he has 7129 runs at an average of 54, which is not bad at all. Kohli has 7490 runs in 91 matches at an average of 52. Very difficult to choose between the two although Williamson is slightly ahead but Kohli is not too far behind.”
Kane Williamson has played more on seamer-friendly tracks in New Zealand. Virat Kohli, on the other hand, has played a majority of his home matches on placid tracks, although some encounters involved square turners.
Their mind-boggling stats mirror each other’s (Kane Williamson career average 53.60; Virat Kohli 52.37), as do their highly impressive test captaincy win rates (Kane Williamson 58 per cent; Virat Kohli 60), at the helm of sides ranked one and two in the world.
Aakash Chopra Explains Using Numbers That Virat Kohli Has Overshadowed Kane Williamson In ODI And T20I Cricket
Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson are the batting mainstays of their respective teams in white-ball cricket as well. Aakash Chopra also explained using numbers that Virat Kohli has overshadowed Kane Williamson in ODI cricket.
“If we talk about ODI cricket, Kane Williamson has 6173 runs at an average of 47.5. Here Kohli is far ahead. He has 12169 runs in ODIs, nearly double the runs that Williamson has scored at an average of 59.”
The 43-year-old pointed out that Virat Kohli’s T20I numbers are also far superior to that of Kane Williamson.
“If we talk about T20Is, Kane Williamson has 1805 runs to his name at an average of 31 and a strike rate of 125. Kohli has an average of 52, he has scored 3159 runs and has a strike rate of 139.”
Aakash Chopra concluded that based on cold numbers alone, while the scales are slightly tilted in Kane Williamson’s favour in Test matches, he is some distance behind Virat Kohli in limited-overs cricket where the Indian skipper is probably the best among all batsmen of the world playing currently.