Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma - comparing their records in home Tests

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, both star batters in their own rights, have often been compared by followers of the sport in India. Although the two continue to be close friends, the rivalry between them has been drawn mostly by fans who feel one to be greater than the other, and who forget that they both serve India equally well.

The sword, however, has been hanging on the two after they put up disappointing performances in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which India lost 1-3 to Australia. Sharma, who joined the side in the second Test to be with his wife during the birth of their child, had a torrid run of form with just 31 runs in five innings.

Kohli did slightly better than Sharma, amassing 190 runs in nine innings which also included a century in the first Test that India won in Perth. However, his run of form was disheartening given the standards he has set for himself throughout his career. As a result of this, the two seem to be walking on thin ice.

Although their record away from home can be a bit sketchy, both these players love playing in familiar conditions and have indeed dominated opposition bowling attacks in the past. Both these players have stellar records while playing at home, especially in Test cricket.

Kohli has scored 4,336 out of his 9,320 Test runs at home and enjoys a healthy average of 55.60. His overall average in this format of the game is 46.85, which means that he enjoys a slightly better average at home. Of the 30 centuries he has scored in Tests, 14 have come at home, which means that 16 have come overseas.

Kohli has 31 half-centuries in total in this format, of which 13 have come at home, and the rest 18 away. This goes to show that although the Delhi batter's average at home is significantly higher than his overall Test average, he has scored more centuries and half-centuries away, in foreign conditions.

In fact, Kohli has also scored more overall runs away from home - 4.894. This proves the point that the 36-year-old is among those rare batters - following up on the steps of the great Rahul Dravid - who were equally good, if not better while batting on surfaces not similar to home conditions at all.

While this discrepancy may be explained by the fact that he has played more matches away from home (68) than at home (55), there is a clear pattern that suggests that Kohli often finds a way to break past the mental barriers that accumulate while playing in unfamiliar territory.

Virat Kohli's statistics in Test cricket home and away.

Rohit Sharma averages a kingly 51 in home Tests

Rohit Sharma went through a poor run of form against New Zealand prior to the BGT as well.

Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, has played almost an equal number of matches at home and away (34 and 33). This, however, does not explain why his record is still tilted more in favor of him playing well in the former. At home, he has accumulated 2,535 of his overall 4,301 runs, leaving the rest (1,766) being scored overseas.

Where this difference becomes all the more stark is in the centuries column. Sharma has scored 10 out of his 12 Test centuries in home conditions, with only two coming away from home - 127 against England at the Oval in 2021 and 103 against West Indies in Roseau in 2023.

However, Sharma obliterates the difference somewhat in his half-centuries tally - he has scored 10 fifties away from home while only eight have come at home. This, however, can be explained by the fact that on most occasions when he crossed the fifty-run mark at home, he went on to score a century.

Sharma's average also differs greatly when compared from home to away. At home, he averages a kingly 51.73, whereas away from home, it drops down significantly to 30.98. This results in an overall average of 40.58 in the longest format of the game, whereas in ODIs - where he is truly king and master - it almost touches 50.

Rohit Sharma's stats in Test cricket both home and away.

For all of Sharma's languid nature and artistic brilliance with the bat in hand, he has played much fewer Tests than Kohli to merit an equal comparison. His 67 almost comes near the halfway mark of Kohli's 123. It is a proven fact that he has a better record in Test cricket at home, and while Kohli's too is nigh-perfect, the latter seems to excel more in alien conditions with his back to the wall.