In sport, as in life, comparisons are odious. Talking about someone taking an enduring achiever’s place is near-blasphemy, and raising them to a level meant for all-time greats borders on foolhardy. Yet, cricket lovers cannot help thinking that Virat Kohli is the Sachin Tendulkar of the current Indian team which beat Pakistan in their ICC World Cup cricket encounter at the Adelaide Oval yesterday.

At the very heart of India’s sixth World Cup victory over the old cricketing rival was Kohli’s 107 his 22nd in one-day international cricket. It was not a destructive innings, but an exercise of solidity and some punch thrown in for good measure. By putting his straight bat to good use, just like he did at the same venue during the opening Test of the Australian summer in December, he must have pleased even the staunchest of purists.