Virat Kohli thrown out of Sachin Tendulkar race

Former Australian spinner Brad Hogg has dropped a bombshell that has stunned the cricketing world, as he believes Virat Kohli, who was once considered to shatter Sachin Tendulkar’s iconic Test run record, is no longer in the race.

Virat Kohli is now facing a decline in the longest format of the game. With his Test average falling below 50 and a string of inconsistent performances since 2020, Hogg’s comments have ignited a fresh debate on whether the dashing right-hander lost his chance to break Tendulkar’s record of most Test runs.

He's lost his momentum, I don't think he is going to get there now: Brad Hogg on Virat Kohli

Since 2020, Virat Kohli has managed to rack up just two centuries, as he amassed only 1,669 runs across nine matches at a paltry average of 32.72.

For a player of his stature, this decline has left fans and cricket experts puzzled, as Virat Kohli’s famed hunger for runs seems to have dried up in the traditional format of the game that he loves most and once dominated.

Brad Hogg said on his YouTube channel: “I don't think Virat Kohli is going to get there now. I just don't think Virat is going to get there. I think he's lost his momentum, and the momentum that he's lost has been for a number of years now. He's got to turn around in the next 10 Test matches, or he's going to drop off.”

In stark contrast, the former Indian captain's contemporaries in the ‘Fab Four’—Steve Smith, Joe Root, and Kane Williamson—have moved ahead of Virat Kohli. Kohli currently has 8,871 runs from 114 Tests to his name, and his path to surpassing Tendulkar’s 15,921-run milestone seems increasingly unlikely for him.

However, Hogg didn’t just stop at Kohli’s struggles, as he backed England’s Root as the batter who is in a great position to break Sachin Tendulkar’s record. Root, with a staggering 4,579 runs to his name from 49 Tests since 2021 and 17 centuries, has been in scintillating form, displaying the kind of consistency that Kohli once flaunted.

Brad Hogg predicts Joe Root can shatter Sachin Tendulkar's record in Test cricket

Hogg predicted that Root could eventually tumble Tendulkar’s towering, and even he could potentially set the stage for a new rivalry in Test cricket.

He added, “So, Joe Root has 146 Test matches with 12,000 runs. Sachin Tendulkar made nearly 16,000 runs in 200 Test matches. That's 4,000 runs in 66 Tests. I think Joe Root can go close to toppling that.”

The former Australian spinner also claimed that Tendulkar's number is in Root’s mind and the Englishman will be raring to break the legendary Indian batter’s world record in Test cricket.

Hogg signed off, saying, “I think it's going to be something to watch. Watch out; Joe Root is on the move to beat Sachin Tendulkar. I think quietly he'll have that in the back of his mind to try and topple that little unique stat.”

Notably, Kohli is currently playing in the ongoing two-match Test series against Bangladesh. The right-hander could manage only 6 and 17 runs during India’s 280-run win over the Tigers in the first Test. The second and final test is set to kick off on September 27 in Kanpur.