The Idea That Started It All
So yesterday, sitting in my worn-out armchair nursing a lukewarm chai, that stupid argument popped into my head again. “Who’s better – Kohli or Sachin?” Everyone online screams their heads off about it, fanboys fighting like mad dogs. Figures, right? Thought I’d try to “settle” it myself. Big mistake.
Diving Headfirst Into The Mess
Grabbed the laptop, fired up a clunky spreadsheet I barely remember how to use. First step? Stats, obviously. Tons of ’em. Centuries? Sachin’s got a hundred international ones, Kohli’s zooming up there too. Runs? Mountains for both. Average? Sachin played forever, Kohli still smashing it.
Then came the headache:
- Sachin played against those terrifying Aussie bowlers – McGrath, Warne – total nightmares.
- Kohli? Chasing down totals like it’s nothing, pressure? Ha! Eats it for breakfast.
- Sachin carried the whole team for years, India lost without him.
- Kohli brought this crazy fitness revolution, changed the game.
Plugged numbers in. Stared. Rubbed my eyes. Changed the weightings. Stared again. Spreadsheet cells just blinked back, useless. Felt like comparing apples and, I dunno, really complex oranges.
Realizing It’s Like Comparing Fists to Fingers
Hit a wall hard. How do you even measure Sachin’s god-like status for my generation? The pure hope he gave us? Or Kohli’s insane aggression, making winning feel normal? Tried watching highlights. Bad move. Sachin’s straight drive – pure art. Kohli’s cover drive – brutal force. Different. So different.
People keep yelling “ERA!” Sachin dominated longer! Kohli dominates harder in his time! Stats screamed Sachin. Recent dominance screamed Kohli. Captaincy? Kohli won more. Sachin faced tougher bowling? Maybe? Ugh.
The Point Where I Threw My Hands Up
Got legit annoyed. Spilled chai on the keyboard. Wiped it off, grumbling. Who was I kidding? This wasn’t some math problem. No magic formula hidden in an Excel function. Sachin was cricket for millions for two decades. Kohli is this unbeatable force reshaping how it’s played. Both giants. Just… different ones.
It hit me like a soggy samosa. Trying to “analyse” this was like arguing if your right fist is “better” than your left thumb. Stupid. Pointless. They did different things, changed the game in their own ways, and we got lucky to witness both.
The Aftermath (And Why My Wife Laughed)
Stomped into the kitchen, muttering about “useless stats” and “fanboys”. My wife sees the spreadsheet still open, my frustrated scribbles everywhere. She just chuckles. “Again? Trying to split the unsplittable?” Annoyingly right, as usual. Slammed the laptop shut. Lesson learned? Some arguments are just meant to be shouted over cold chai, not solved. Wasted an afternoon. But hey, least I know what doesn’t work now.
