Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma, Who is a Better Batter in IPL ?

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma has been the stalwarts of Indian cricket for last 7-8 years (Source: OneCricket)Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma has been the stalwarts of Indian cricket for last 7-8 years (Source: OneCricket)

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been the stalwarts of Indian cricket for the past seven to eight years. They have scored the bulk of runs for the Men in Blue and have been the reason for many glorious moments of Indian cricket. 

However, in the Indian Premier League, these two are not part of the same team. They play for two of the most popular IPL franchises, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians, respectively. 

Virat Kohli has long bore the RCB batting lineup and has been their mainstay for 12-13 years. On the other hand, Rohit Sharma has seen the peak of success as a skipper in Mumbai Indians. He has led the Mumbai-based franchise to five IPL titles. 

The fans of these two mavericks often have a point of discussion and argument as to who is the better batter. With the 17th edition of the tournament approaching, let us try to answer the question analytically: Who is a better batter amongst Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in IPL? 

Before the comparison, let us clarify how we will quantify the metrics for this article. We will look at the batting efficiency of these two batters in the different phases of a T20 game and against various types of bowlers. When measuring the batting efficiency - strike rate, runs per innings, boundary percentage, and strike rotation ability will be kept in mind. 


Virat vs Rohit in Powerplay in IPL

Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma in the Powerplay in IPL (Source: OneCricket)Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma in the Powerplay in IPL (Source: OneCricket)

As the above picture shows, Kohli and Rohit have similar strike rates in the powerplays. While Virat has been more consistent, Rohit has the higher boundary percentage. If we look at the dot percentage, it seems Kohli has been more proactive than Rohit. 

When the batting efficiency was calculated, it was found that Kohli's batting efficiency in the power play is 36.23, while that of Rohit is 27.46. So, this round goes to the RCB superstar. 


Virat vs Rohit in Middle-overs in IPL

Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma in the Middle-overs of IPL (Source: x.com)Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma in the Middle-overs of IPL (Source: x.com)

Barring the boundary-hitting abilities, Virat Kohli is dominant in the middle overs. The same can be noticed in the batting efficiency of the two mavericks; while Kohli has a BE of 68.5 in the middle overs, Rohit Sharma's BE is 56.24. Kohli is the outright winner in this case. 


Virat vs Rohit in Death-overs in IPL

Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma in the Death Overs (Source: x.com)Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma in the Death Overs (Source: x.com)

Kohli and Sharma like to spend time in the crease and shift gears as they progress through the innings. During the times when they lasted till the death overs, both superstars dealt considerable blows to the opposition bowlers. But if we compare the two, Kohli once again emerges as a dominant winner. While Kohli's efficiency in this phase quantifies to 100.03, Rohit's stands at 91.91. 


Virat vs Rohit against Pacers

Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma against Pacers in IPL (Source: x.com)Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma against Pacers in IPL (Source: x.com)

The face-off looks quite balanced when we look at the numbers against the pacers of the two batters. But when the batting efficiencies are quantified, Virat Kohli once again emerges the winner with 63.15, compared to Rohit Sharma's 57.31. 


Virat vs Rohit against Spinners

Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma against Spinners in IPL (Source: x.com)Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma against Spinners in IPL (Source: x.com)

As the numbers suggest Virat Kohli has been the better player of spin. Kohli's batting efficiency against spin is 50.24, while Rohit Sharma's is 35.67.


Conclusion

While considering the metrics of the study in this article, Virat Kohli emerges as the winner by a whopping 5-0 margin. Kohli has been way too dominant as a batter in the IPL. Rohit Sharma has been outstanding as a batter, but when IPL is considered, he falls way behind Virat Kohli.