Shubman Gill vs Virat Kohli vs Sachin Tendulkar: Decoding Best Indian Batter At 26

Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar [Source: AFP]

Fondly called as the Prince of Indian Cricket, Shubman Gill is celebrating his 26th birthday today. The Punjab batter is immensely talented and has powered India to numerous memorable victories with his incredible batting prowess. 

Talking about India, the country has been a hub of generational batting talents over the years. While Virat Kohli filled the giant void of Sachin Tendulkar, Shubman Gill seems to be on the right track to become India's most iconic batter among the current generation players. 

Considering his potential and performance, Gill has constantly been called as a potential successor of Kohli and Tendulkar in Indian cricket. As the promising cricketer celebrates his 26th birthday, here's an analysis to find how ahead or behind he is from the legendary duo at this age. 

Gill vs Kohli vs Sachin: Best Test batter at 26

The data in the above table gives a detailed statistical insight into the achievements of Gill, Kohli and Tendulkar in Test cricket at the age of 26. 

Inference: From the table, it's quite evident that although Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill have performed better than designated batters from their generation, Sachin Tendulkar was way ahead of his contemporaries, having a huge average difference of 17.57 points. Additionally, the God Of Cricket maintained almost identical averages in both home and away conditions, making him the most complete Test batter among these three players at 26. 

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Gill vs Kohli vs Sachin: Best ODI batter at 26

Inference: Unlike Tests, the ODI format has evolved significantly over the years. While Tendulkar played red-ball ODIs and games where only one ball was used throughout, Virat Kohli had a hybrid career, mostly consisting of matches where two new balls were used. Meanwhile, Gill, being a modern-day cricketer, has only played in the 'two new balls' era. 

Now coming to our topic, the data presented in the above table signifies Kohli and Gill have been much more consistent than their counterparts. While Tendulkar averaged 11.75 points higher than the global batting average in his time, he also struck at a much better rate, registering a higher deviation from the standard strike rate than Gill and Kohli. 

Gill certainly pips Tendulkar and Kohli in consistency. But Sachin edges out the other two, proving he was way ahead of his time when he was 26. 

Conclusion

Barring raw stats, Sachin Tendulkar had achieved several remarkable milestones before turning 26. Besides scoring Test tons in seam-friendly conditions of England, Australia and South Africa, Tendulkar was India's second highest run-getter in his first-ever World Cup appearance as a teen-ager. He was India's lone warrior in the 1996 World Cup, scoring 523 runs, the most by any player in the tournament. 

Therefore, with due respect to what Gill and Kohli have achieved, Sachin Tendulkar's remarkable consistency and aggressive intent make him the most complete batter among these three at the age of 26 across formats. 

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