Dinesh Karthik weighs in on Kohli vs Root debate
The ongoing debate about who is the superior Test batter between Joe Root and Virat Kohli, has been fueled by former England captain Michael Vaughan and ex-Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik. This discussion was initiated following Root's 34th Test century, a feat that propelled him past Alastair Cook as England's top century-maker in Tests. This also brought him closer to Sachin Tendulkar's record for most Test runs.
Gilchrist's pick in Kohli vs Root debate
The debate took a new turn when Vaughan involved former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist. During a YouTube podcast show, Gilchrist chose Kohli as the superior batter across all formats. This choice was made despite Root's impressive statistics and recent form in Test cricket. As per ESPNcricinfo, Kohli has scored just two Test tons since 2020 while Root has smashed 17 in this period.
Karthik's take on the Kohli vs Root debate
Karthik was also asked to weigh in on this debate during Cricbuzz's 'HeyCB with DK' show. Initially, he seemed to side with Root based purely on statistics. However, he later added a twist by stating that if someone were to bat for his life, it would be Kohli without a doubt. Notably, Kohli is way ahead of his England rival in terms of records in ODIs and T20Is.
Root and Kohli's Test cricket statistics compared
Root has scored 12,377 runs in 145 appearances for England, making him the sixth-highest run-getter in Test history. He is just 96 runs short of surpassing Cook as England's highest run-scorer. On the other hand, Kohli has amassed 8,848 runs in 113 Test appearances for India. Despite averaging under 35 in this format since 2020, he remains a formidable presence in the cricketing world.
Gilchrist and Vaughan's preference for Kohli in Australia
Despite Kohli's recent dip in form, both Gilchrist and Vaughan chose him over Root as their preferred batter in Australian conditions. Root is yet to score a century Down Under, while Kohli has an impressive record with 1,352 runs from 25 innings at an average of 54.08, including six centuries and four half-centuries. His best-ever performance in a Test series also came against Australia when he accumulated 692 runs from four Tests in 2014-15.
