Who is Better than Virat Kohli—The GOAT of Cricket

World cricket doesn’t have many players like Virat Kohli. He is an all-format player. Virat has 80+ centuries in Tests, ODIs, and T20is. He even has 140+ half-centuries, which is remarkable. If you ask 100 cricket fans who they think is the best player of all time, probably 85 will take his name. But is there anyone better? If you, too, have the question, “who is better than Virat Kohli?” in your mind, get ready to find the answer.

Virat Kohli Vs ROW—Overall Stats

If you wonder, “who is better cricket player than Virat Kohli,” it is very hard to get an answer. That’s because only a few players in cricket history have better numbers than him in all formats. Virat Kohli is ranked third in the list of most runs scored in Tests, ODIs, and T20s combined.

He has played 550 matches and scored 27,599 runs. He is just 17 runs behind the second spot, which is held by Kumar Sangakkara, who scored 28,016 runs in 594 matches. Virat is ahead of big cricket legends like Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, Mahela Jayawardene, and more. He is surely chasing Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 34357 runs in all formats.

Who is Better than Kohli—Comparing ODI Stats

Virat has the best average in ODI cricket. He has scored runs at an average of 57.88, more than Sachin Tendulkar, Sangakara, and others. Check the ODI stats below, and you’ll figure out if there is any player better than Virat Kohli:

Rank	Player	Span	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	SR	100	50	Active Status
1	SR Tendulkar (IND)	1989–2012	463	452	41	18426	200*	44.83	86.23	49	96	Retired
2	KC Sangakkara (Asia/SL)	2000–2015	404	380	41	14234	169	41.98	78.86	25	93	Retired
3	V Kohli (IND)	2008–2025	302	290	45	14181	183	57.88	93.34	51	74	Active
4	RT Ponting (AUS/ICC)	1995–2012	375	365	39	13704	164	42.03	80.39	30	82	Retired
5	ST Jayasuriya (Asia/SL)	1989–2011	445	433	18	13430	189	32.36	91.2	28	68	Retired

Who is the Better than Virat Kohli—Comparing Test Stats

The number of runs by King Kohli in Tests is not that great compared to what he can deliver at the highest level. Take a look at the table and you’ll know who is better than him in this format:

Rank	Player	Span	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	100	50	Active Status
1	SR Tendulkar (IND)	1989–2013	200	329	33	15921	248*	53.78	51	68	Retired
2	RT Ponting (AUS)	1995–2012	168	287	29	13378	257	51.85	41	62	Retired
3	JH Kallis (ICC/SA)	1995–2013	166	280	40	13289	224	55.37	45	58	Retired
4	R Dravid (ICC/IND)	1996–2012	164	286	32	13288	270	52.31	36	63	Retired
5	JE Root (ENG)	2012–2024	152	278	23	12972	262	50.87	36	65	Active
6	AN Cook (ENG)	2006–2018	161	291	16	12472	294	45.35	33	57	Retired
7	KC Sangakkara (SL)	2000–2015	134	233	17	12400	319	57.4	38	52	Retired
8	BC Lara (ICC/WI)	1990–2006	131	232	6	11953	400*	52.88	34	48	Retired
9	S Chanderpaul (WI)	1994–2015	164	280	49	11867	203*	51.37	30	66	Retired
10	DPMD Jayawardene (SL)	1997–2014	149	252	15	11814	374	49.84	34	50	Retired
11	AR Border (AUS)	1978–1994	156	265	44	11174	205	50.56	27	63	Retired
12	SR Waugh (AUS)	1985–2004	168	260	46	10927	200	51.06	32	50	Retired
13	SPD Smith (AUS)	2010–2025	116	206	25	10271	239	56.74	36	41	Active
14	SM Gavaskar (IND)	1971–1987	125	214	16	10122	236*	51.12	34	45	Retired
15	Younis Khan (PAK)	2000–2017	118	213	19	10099	313	52.05	34	33	Retired
16	HM Amla (SA)	2004–2019	124	215	16	9282	311*	46.64	28	41	Retired
17	KS Williamson (NZ)	2010–2024	105	186	17	9276	251	54.88	33	37	Active
18	GC Smith (ICC/SA)	2002–2014	117	205	13	9265	277	48.25	27	38	Retired
19	V Kohli (IND)	2011–2025	123	210	13	9230	254*	46.85	30	31	Active

Who is Better than Virat Kohli in Cricket—T20is

Kohli has recently retired from T20 Internationals. Although an anchor-type player, he could shift gears and do aggressive batting whenever required. Post retirement, he is still the batter with the best T20 average. Check it out:

Rank	Player	Span	Status	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	SR	100	50
1	RG Sharma (IND)	2007–2024	Retired	159	151	19	4231	121*	32.05	140.89	5	32
2	Babar Azam (PAK)	2016–2024	Active	128	121	15	4223	122	39.83	129.22	3	36
3	V Kohli (IND)	2010–2024	Retired	125	117	31	4188	122*	48.69	137.04	1	38
4	PR Stirling (IRE)	2009–2025	Active	150	147	11	3656	115*	26.88	134.7	1	24
5	JC Buttler (ENG)	2011–2025	Active	134	123	23	3535	101*	35.35	146.61	1	26

Who is Better Batsman than Virat Kohli in the IPL?

Rank	Player	Span	Staus	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	SR	100	50
1	V Kohli (RCB)	2008–2025	Active	263	255	40	8509	113*	39.57	132.6	8	62
2	RG Sharma (DCH/MI)	2008–2025	Active	267	262	30	6921	109*	29.83	132	2	46
3	S Dhawan (DC/DCH/MI/PBKS/SRH)	2008–2024	Retired	222	221	29	6769	106*	35.25	127.14	2	51
4	DA Warner (DC/SRH)	2009–2024	NA	184	184	22	6565	126	40.52	139.77	4	62
5	SK Raina (CSK/GL)	2008–2021	Retired	205	200	30	5528	100*	32.51	136.73	1	39

Virat Kohli Vs Sachin Tendulkar—Overall Stats

Let us compare the stats of Kohli and the great Sachin Tendulkar in all formats:

Stat	Sachin Tendulkar (ODI)	Virat Kohli (ODI)	Sachin Tendulkar (Test)	Virat Kohli (Test)	Sachin Tendulkar (T20I)	Virat Kohli (T20I)
Matches	463	302	200	123	1	125
Innings	452	290	329	210	1	117
Runs Scored	18,426	14,181	15,921	9,230	10	4,188
Highest Score	200*	183	248*	254*	10	122*
Batting Average	44.83	57.88	53.78	46.85	10	48.69
Not Outs	41	45	33	13	0	31
Strike Rate	86.23	93.34	–	55.57	83.33	137.04
100s	49	51	51	30	0	1
50s	96	74	68	31	0	38

Virat Kohli Vs Steve Smith—Overall Stats

Virat or Steve Smith, who is better in the game’s longer format? Read the table and you’ll get an idea:

Stat	Steve Smith (Test)	Virat Kohli (Test)	Steve Smith (ODI)	Virat Kohli (ODI)	Steve Smith (T20I)	Virat Kohli (T20I)
Matches	116	123	170	302	67	125
Innings	206	210	154	290	55	117
Runs Scored	10,271	9,230	5,800	14,181	1,094	4,188
Highest Score	239	254*	164	183	90	122*
Batting Average	56.74	46.85	43.28	57.88	24.86	48.69
Not Outs	25	13	20	45	11	31
Strike Rate	53.56	55.57	86.96	93.34	125.45	137.04
100s	36	30	12	51	0	1
50s	41	31	35	74	5	38

Virat Kohli Vs Rohit Sharma—Overall Stats

Who is better than Virat Kohli in India? Is it Rohit Sharma? Read as we compare the stats of both.

Stat	Rohit Sharma (Test)	Virat Kohli (Test)	Rohit Sharma (ODI)	Virat Kohli (ODI)	Rohit Sharma (T20I)	Virat Kohli (T20I)
Matches	67	123	273	302	159	125
Innings	116	210	265	290	151	117
Runs Scored	4,301	9,230	11,168	14,181	4,231	4,188
Highest Score	212	254*	264	183	121*	122*
Batting Average	40.57	46.85	48.76	57.88	32.05	48.69
Not Outs	10	13	36	45	19	31
Strike Rate	57.05	55.57	92.8	93.34	140.89	137.04
100s	12	30	32	51	5	1
50s	18	31	58	74	32	38

Virat Kohli Vs Rohit Sharma—Captaincy Record

Stat	Virat Kohli (ODI)	Rohit Sharma (ODI)	Virat Kohli (Test)	Rohit Sharma (Test)	Virat Kohli (T20I)	Rohit Sharma (T20I)
Matches Captained	95	56	66	24	50	62
Matches Won	65	42	40	12	30	49
Matches Lost	27	12	23	9	16	12
Win Percentage	68.42%	75.00%	61.53%	50%	60%	79%

Final Words

In international cricket, Virat Kohli is a big name. He is a top class batsman who has scored thousands of runs in all three formats. Virat has also captained India and Royal Challengers Bangalore, and his records are great. Yes, you will hardly find a better batsman than him. However, there are a few players who have slightly better stats in different formats.

For example, Sachin Tendulkar has a better number of One-Day Internationals. Joe Root, Alastair Cook, and Steve Smith seem better in Tests, while Rohit Sharma ranks number one in T20Is.

Now, it’s not always fair to compare players from different generations. But we made this comparison to help our readers see who has the better numbers. Still, remember this—just stats don’t always show a player’s greatness. And we all know that Virat Kohli is one of the greatest cricketers ever.

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FAQs

Who is better player than Virat Kohli?

Virat Kohli is one of the greatest cricket players of this generation. According to stats, only Sachin Tendulkar is a better player than Virat Kohli based on the total number of runs scored across three formats.

Who is better than Virat Kohli in ODI?

As of 2025, only Sachin Tendulkar and Kumar Sangakkara have more ODI runs than Virat Kohli in ODIs.