Table of Contents
Former Team India cricketer Dodda Ganesh takes a cheeky dig at the former South Africa international and the former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter AB de Villiers for keeping Virat Kohli ahead of the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. According to de Villiers, Kohli performed much better in overseas conditions than Tendulkar.
In a recent YouTube video, AB de Villiers said that Sachin Tendulkar was the first Indian batter to show that even the subcontinent batters could perform well on bouncy, seaming conditions, but Virat Kohli set the bar higher. The assessment of the former batter did not go well with some cricket fans.
Pass on the weed, brother: Dodda Ganesh told AB de Villiers to keep Virat Kohli ahead of Sachin Tendulkar
Dodda Ganesh launched a counter-remark on Villiers' comments. Through a one-liner comment, Dodda dismissed the former South Africa batter's opinion on Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.
"Pass on the weed, brother,” Dodda Ganesh wrote on 'X', targeting AB de Villiers' comments.
Pass on the weed, brother. https://t.co/3XOy6o6x9t
— Dodda Ganesh | ದೊಡ್ಡ ಗಣೇಶ್ (@doddaganesha) August 20, 2026
AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli are good friends who played for years for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru
The cricket fraternity is well aware of the close bond between Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. For multiple seasons, Villiers played alongside Kohli for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League. Because of their undisputed friendship, they admired both of their contributions in modern-day cricket.
As soon as Villiers released his comments on a social media platform, they gained attention. Some believe that the former South African cricketer's comments were influenced by his personal bond with the Indian batter.
Despite considering Sachin Tendulkar as the trendsetter in Indian cricket, Villiers opined that the former Indian batter was not strong enough to match the level of Virat Kohli by any means.
Sachin Tendulkar wasn't as strong as Virat Kohli: AB de Villiers
Taking a step further, he also mentioned that Tendulkar was the first to stand up as a subcontinent batter to play effectively in overseas conditions, but it was Virat Kohli who raised the bar in bouncy and seaming conditions.
"I think of someone like Sachin Tendulkar way back, who started that trend for India. Yet, he wasn't as strong as someone like Virat Kohli, who was even better. But Sachin was the first guy to show that as a subcontinent batter, you can do well in bouncy and seaming conditions. Virat took that forward and raised the bar,” De Villiers said.
Like Dodda Ganesh, the actual stats of both Sachin and Virat do not support De Villiers' opinion. According to the stats, while Sachin scored 8,705 runs in 106 overseas Tests at an average of 54.74, with 29 centuries, Virat claimed 4,894 runs in 68 Tests outside India at an average of 41.47 before taking retirement.
Villier's comments seem more focused on the influences caused by the batting legends than the actual numbers. In support of his comments, the former batter mentioned present-day Team India stars like KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal who are among those who are following Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar's footsteps.
"Because of that, there are quite a few players now like Rahul and Padikkal, who have started to up that trend and follow in the footsteps of a Virat and a Sachin," he added.
