Joe Root vs Virat Kohli: Complete statistical analysis

One Day International

PLAYER	MAT	INNS	RUNS	AVE	100	50
KOHLI	176	168	7570	52.93	26	38
ROOT	78	73	3017	45.71	8	17

In their last played ODIs, Kohli scored 65 against the Kiwis while Root made 6 against Pakistan. While Root has been slightly better than Kohli in Tests, and has showed his potential in T20, it is in ODIs that Root will find it difficult to match the Indian skipper who has raced away to 26 centuries while Root is stuck on 8.

Their ODI averages show a sort of reversal from Tests and in this format Kohli has the better average in the 50s, while Root remains in the mid-40s. Moreover, Kohli has played nearly 100 more matches than Root and has consistently proven himself to be a master of the ODI format.

Though Root has a long way to go to match Kohli’s numbers in ODIs, both he and Kohli have impressive strike-rates of 89.97 and 85 in this format. While Root has not yet played enough matches for him to be judged properly, perhaps the suitable competitor for Kohli in ODIs is the prolific AB de Villiers who has amassed 8024 runs in ODIs with 24 centuries at an average of 53.63. The ODI rankings sum up the position of Kohli and Root in the format with the Indian captain behind ABD at 2 and Root some way behind at 7.

Infographic: Joe Root vs Virat Kohli in ICC T20 World Cup 2016

International T20

PLAYER	MAT	INNS	RUNS	AVE	100	50
KOHLI	45	41	1657	57.13	0	16
ROOT	21	19	600	37.50	0	4

Several cricket purists have worried about how T20 cricket can destroy the game’s standards of batting and bowling, including greats like Martin Crowe worrying “about the effect this [new cricket] would have - on everything." Though ABD has emerged as the unorthodox hero of T20, it is the beauty and sting in the batting of Kohli and Root that remains more interesting to watch in the shortest format. Rohit Sharma, Kane Williamson and Chris Gayle – though fantastic T20 players in their own right – still lack the art and consistency that Kohli and Root have demonstrated so wonderfully in recent times.

In the 2016 World T20, Root’s runs came in high-scoring games where he played mostly orthodox cricket shots, and unerringly picked the gaps in the field. Kohli has proven himself to be the master of the chase and has eclipsed Dhoni as he twice led tricky chases against Pakistan and Australia.

However, besides being the leading T20 players for their national sides, Kohli grabs eyeballs in overall T20 cricket having scored 4 centuries at an average of 41.85 while Root lags some way behind with an average of 32 and has yet to score a T20 century.

Root has proved his excellence in Tests, he has not done as much as Kohli in T20s and with the extra burden of captaincy, Kohli’s prolific records demonstrate that he is the better batsman in T20s. Both players, though, have continued to prove themselves in all three formats.