‘Pass on the weed’: Ex-India cricketer mocks de Villiers over Kohli-Sachin take

Virat Kohli, Ab de Villiers, Sachin Tendulkar

Former India fast bowler Dodda Ganesh has taken a cheeky dig at South African great AB de Villiers after he rated Virat Kohli ahead of Sachin Tendulkar in overseas Test conditions.De Villiers recently sparked a debate by saying Kohli was a stronger batter than Tendulkar in seam-friendly and bouncy conditions. While praising Tendulkar for showing that a subcontinent batter could succeed overseas, the former South Africa batter felt Kohli took that legacy forward and raised the bar.“I think of someone like Sachin Tendulkar way back, who started that trend for India. Yet, he wasn’t as strong as someone like Virat Kohli, who was even better. But Sachin was the first guy to show that as a subcontinent batter, you can do well in bouncy and seaming conditions. Virat took that forward and raised the bar,” he said.Ganesh did not agree with the assessment and responded to the comments on X with a cheeky one-liner.“Pass on the weed, brother,” he wrote.

De Villiers and Kohli share a close friendship, which perhaps explains the former South Africa batter’s assessment. However, Tendulkar’s overseas Test numbers provide a strong counterpoint.Tendulkar scored 8,705 runs in 106 overseas Tests at an average of 54.7, including 29 centuries. Kohli has 4,894 runs in 68 overseas Tests at an average of 41.51.While Kohli has several remarkable Test achievements to his name, Tendulkar’s overall record remains difficult to overlook. In every country except the West Indies, Tendulkar has a better Test record than Kohli, although the former’s considerably longer career is an important factor.Tendulkar’s longevity was particularly evident towards the end of his career. In the final four years of his career, he scored 2,951 runs, eight centuries and 14 fifties in 29 Tests. Kohli, in comparison, managed 1,912 runs in 36 Tests between 2020 and 2025.Kohli certainly has achievements that Tendulkar did not. He scored four centuries in the 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, led India to their first Test series win in Australia and produced two outstanding calendar years, scoring 1,215 runs in 2016 and 1,322 in 2018. He also scored 650-plus runs in a Test series on two occasions.But Tendulkar’s late-career resurgence was extraordinary. In 2010, aged 37, he scored more than 1,500 runs in 14 Tests, including seven centuries. He scored 213 runs against South Africa, 390 against Sri Lanka and 403 against Australia that year.

He then continued that form into 2011, scoring 326 runs in three Tests in South Africa and completing his 50th and 51st Test centuries.Kohli’s Test legacy, meanwhile, extends beyond his batting numbers. As captain, he played a major role in transforming India’s approach to Test cricket and led the team to a historic series win in Australia.His peak years remain among the finest by an Indian batter. In 2018, he scored 697 runs in England, including three centuries, and also became the first Indian to score four double-centuries in a calendar year.There is little debate over Kohli’s standing in white-ball cricket, where his record puts him among the very best. But when the comparison is specifically about Test cricket, de Villiers’ assessment is certain to remain contentious.