Can't compare Virat with Sachin Tendulkar, whatever stats may say

Virat Kohli's red-hot form in 2016 has triggered several comparisons with Sachin Tendulkar. Is Kohli greater than the Little Master? Many experts say Kohli is a far better chase than Tendulkar was, in limited-overs cricket. Numbers certainly back that up. And numbers don't lie. Kohli, who turns 27 next month, already has 26 hundreds in one-day internationals. Tendulkar retired with 49. There is every chance the young run-machine from Delhi would one day overtake the Master, who redefined the art of batting in the 50-over format.

Meanwhile, one of Tendulkar's most cherished records, the 200-Test mark, could also be under threat from Alastair Cook. The 31-year-old England captain is already the most capped Test player in his country with 134 matches. He plays a Test every 29 days as opposed to Tendulkar, who played one every 47 days. If Cook remains fit and stays in form, he could play for another six to seven years and who knows? Tendulkar's 51 Test tons could also come under serious threat.

Surpassing these numbers seemed unthinkable until a few years ago even when Tendulkar was playing in the final stages of his career. But the rate at which Kohli and Cook are scoring runs these days they might get close to the records which the "Little Master" has set. It's still a long shot though.

Kohli carries the mantle of being the best ODI batsman in world cricket right now. The 27-year-old, who made his ODI debut in 2008, has already scored 7460 runs in 174 matches at an average of 52.90 with 26 hundreds and 37 half-centuries. Kohli recently equalled Tendulkar's world record of scoring 14 tons in successful run chases when his unbeaten 154 guided India to a seven-wicket win over New Zealand in the third ODI at Mohali.

But the point to be noted here is that Tendulkar took 124 innings to score those many tons while Kohli did it in just 59 innings. At this age and at the peak of his career, Kohli has already scored 26 tons in 166 innings, the fastest by any batsman by a long way and is fourth on the list of players with most ODI centuries. He overtook Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara, who needed 404 matches to score 25 tons. Tendulkar had taken 247 innings to score 26 centuries.