# Ashwin says Sachin still ahead of Kohli, 100 centuries would change that 2026-09-30T10:12:38+00:00 | Sports | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Ravichandran Ashwin has said Sachin Tendulkar remains ahead of Virat Kohli as a batsman, citing the era Tendulkar played in and the weight of expectation he carried. Speaking on his YouTube show ‘Ash ki Baat’, Ashwin called comparisons between the two generations ‘sinister’, pointing to day-time one-day cricket, a single ball lasting the entire innings, and fewer fielders inside the circle as factors that made Tendulkar’s era tougher. Ashwin, who shared the dressing room with both players, added that if Kohli reaches 100 international centuries, he would consider the two ‘on the same level’. Kohli currently has 86 international hundreds and needs 14 more. Ashwin expects Kohli to retire after the 2027 World Cup in South Africa, which Kohli has said will be his last ODI World Cup. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Ashwin’s remarks are the sole news content, and both sources report his comments almost identically. Times of India leads with the contrast between the players’ ODI and Test records and adds detail about Kohli’s retirement timeline and India’s upcoming ODI schedule. Times Now leads with Ashwin’s dismissal of the comparison itself and highlights his personal bond with Kohli. Neither source frames Ashwin’s stance as controversial or politicised, both present it as a straightforward cricketing opinion. The coverage is uniform straight reporting of a former player’s view, differing only in which familiar facts each outlet emphasises around the same quotes. Ashwin’s condition, that 100 centuries would move Kohli to ‘the same level’, remains the concrete benchmark to watch, tied to Kohli’s stated 2027 World Cup as his final tournament. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) Presents Ashwinu2019s view as a settled opinion backed by era arguments and ODI schedule details. - timesnownews.com (neutral report) Leads with Ashwin dismissing the comparison entirely, adds personal bond context. This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Tags: 2027 ODI World Cup, Ravichandran Ashwin, Sachin Tendulkar, South Africa, Virat Kohli Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/ashwin-says-sachin-still-ahead-of-kohli-100-centuries-would-change-that/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/ashwin-says-sachin-still-ahead-of-kohli-100-centuries-would-change-that/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/