Sachin Tendulkar played 200 Tests and Virat Kohli played 123 Tests before their retirements.
De Villiers believed that Sachin Tendulkar was the trailblazer who demonstrated to Indian batsmen that they could thrive in seaming and bouncy conditions away from home, but Kohli took that to a whole other level.
Following India's 165-run victory against Sri Lanka in Galle on Wednesday, De Villiers made the remarks.
“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 subcontinent batter to excel in bouncy, seaming conditions. Virat took that forward and raised the bar,” said de Villiers on his YouTube channel.
Tendulkar, who retired in 2013, is still the highest run-scorer in Test cricket history, with 15,921 runs in 200 matches, while Kohli, who retired from Tests in May 2025, finished 19th on the all-time list with 9,230 runs in 123 Tests.
Tendulkar's Test runs away from home accounted for around 55% of his total (8705). He is also the top run-scorer among batters in Test cricket in overseas countries. Meanwhile, Kohli scored 4,774 runs in 66 Tests played outside of India.
Tendulkar scored 5,387 runs in 63 Tests in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) countries at an average of 51.30, with 17 centuries and 23 fifties. Kohli finished with 3,661 runs in 46 Tests at an average of 42.08, with 12 centuries and 14 fifties.
AB de Villiers' opinion appears to be based on Kohli's overall impact on India's climb to dominance in Test cricket away from home. His influence, especially during India's strong run in international Test cricket, served to set a better standard for the generation that followed.
De Villiers believes Kohli and Tendulkar have influenced the current crop of Indian batters, especially KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal, to improve their performances away from home.
“Because of that, there are quite a few players now like [KL] Rahul and [Devdutt] Padikkal, who have started to up that trend and follow in the footsteps of a Virat and a Sachin,” he added.
KL Rahul, AB de Villiers believes, has room for improvement in his overseas returns in Tests, as he possesses the technique to succeed in these conditions.
“KL is somebody with a sound technique and is a big asset in that Indian lineup. But he averages only 34 away from home. So, you’ll expect more, and that is one area where he has to work. He has to get bigger scores once he gets in and not just get a 100 but make it a 180 because that first-ball duck and getting out to the newish ball are always around the corner. De Villiers stated, "For him, the key to success will be to increase his big scores even further."