AB de Villiers on Virat Kohli-Sachin Tendulkar

South Africa great AB de Villiers has clarified his recent comments comparing Virat Kohli with Sachin Tendulkar after his assessment of the two Indian batting legends triggered a backlash on social media.De Villiers had previously said Kohli was better than Tendulkar in seam-friendly overseas conditions, while crediting the former India opener with being the first Indian batter to show that players from the subcontinent could succeed consistently in challenging conditions outside Asia.The former South Africa captain’s comments attracted criticism, prompting him to explain what he meant.“There was a bit of confusion with my Virat and Sachin comment. Remember, it’s my opinion. I’m not axing anyone. I’m telling you the way that I see it. Sachin was the first to take things forward for India, showing all the youngsters what it takes to perform consistently everywhere around the world. I said that Virat sort of showed that there is a different dynamic to Indian batting by being good on the short ball. He found a way to counter that,” de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.De Villiers acknowledged that Kohli’s overseas numbers do not match Tendulkar’s, but insisted that statistics alone do not determine how he assesses a batter.“We can always look at stats and say Virat’s stats were not as good abroad, especially because of England, where he really struggled. But I still feel he looked confident and played the all-round, well-balanced cricket that’s needed to succeed abroad and inspired a lot of youngsters around him. He took what he learnt from Sachin and took it forward. His record is not as good as Sachin’s away from home, but we don’t always look at stats, especially not me. And that’s what I meant with showing the new generation of cricketers how the way forward should look. Staying fit, leading by example, having the all-round game,” de Villiers concluded.His original assessment had centred on how Kohli built on Tendulkar’s pioneering work.“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. Because of that, there are quite a few players now like Rahul and Padikkal, who have started to up that trend and follow in the footsteps of a Virat and a Sachin,” de Villiers had stated earlier.The statistical comparison, however, strongly favours Tendulkar in overseas Tests.Tendulkar remains the leading run-scorer in Test history, having accumulated 15,921 runs in 200 matches before retiring in 2013. Kohli retired from Test cricket in May 2025 after scoring 9,230 runs in 123 Tests, leaving him 19th on the all-time list.Tendulkar scored 8,705 of his Test runs away from home, accounting for around 55% of his career tally. He is also the highest run-scorer in overseas Test cricket. Kohli, meanwhile, made 4,774 runs in 66 Tests outside India.The difference remains significant when the comparison is restricted to SENA nations. Tendulkar scored 5,387 runs in 63 Tests in South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia at an average of 51.30, including 17 centuries and 23 fifties.Kohli finished with 3,661 runs in 46 Tests across the same countries at an average of 42.08, with 12 centuries and 14 fifties.De Villiers’ clarification therefore sought to put his original comments into context, with the South African stressing that his assessment was based not merely on numbers but on Kohli’s approach, adaptability, fitness and influence on the generation that followed him.

Virender Sehwag, Aaryavir Sehwag

NEW DELHI: The BCCI Men’s Selection Committee on Thursday announced India’s Under-19 squads for Australia’s Under-19 tour of India, which will feature three One-Day matches and two Multi-Day fixtures.One of the biggest takeaways from the squads is the inclusion of former India cricketer Virender Sehwag’s son, Aaryavir Sehwag, in the One-Day squad.Anvay Dravid, son of former India captain Rahul Dravid was also named in the squad. Anvay Dravid was part of Sri Lanka tour in July, and scored 87 in the second one-day game. He is one of two wicketkeepers alongside Rajat Baghel.The tour will begin on September 19 in Rajkot, which will host all three One-Day matches and the first Multi-Day fixture. The second Multi-Day match will be played in Ahmedabad.The One-Day series schedule is:

The first Youth Test will be played in Rajkot from September 27 to 30, while the second Youth Test will take place in Ahmedabad from October 5 to 8.Lakshya Raichandani will lead the India U19 team in the One-Day matches, with Yashbardhan Chauhan named vice-captain. For the Multi-Day fixtures, Yashbardhan Chauhan will captain the side, while Lakshya Raichandani will serve as the vice-captain.India U19 squad for One-Day matchesLakshya Raichandani (Captain), Yashbardhan Chauhan (Vice-captain), Rajat Baghel (Wicketkeeper), Aaryavir Sehwag, V.K. Vineet, Kushagra Ojha, Arjun Rajput, Manal Chauhan, Anvay Dravid (Wicketkeeper), V. Yashveer, Rohit Yadav, Shavin Vinodh, Mohit Ulva, Chigurupati Venkata and Kavya Patel.India U19 squad for Multi-Day fixturesYashbardhan Chauhan (Captain), Lakshya Raichandani (Vice-captain), Sagar Virk, Kushagra Ojha, Manal Chauhan, Kush Patel, Manav Krishna (Wicketkeeper), Abhipray Biswas (Wicketkeeper), Rohit Yadav, Ishan Om, Ayaan Akram, Pranav Ragavendra, Priyanshu Singh, Mohit Ulva and Aryan Yadav.

More than 1,200 matches into his managerial career, David Moyes has a lengthier past than most. As he made his return to the place where it all began, it did not come back to bite him. It is more than 24 years since Moyes left Preston for Everton. A belated first return for a competitive game – though he has often been spotted in the crowd – brought applause from the Preston faithful before and after an Everton rout.

“I loved being back,” said Moyes. It was a happy homecoming for a man who lived in Preston long after he managed them. Deepdale was being rebuilt during his time in charge, he recalled. He is a builder of a different kind at Everton and Thierno Barry’s first hat-trick in English football may have served as a reminder of Moyes’ enduring ability to make plenty from players with certain imperfections. As Liam Delap, a forward Everton targeted last summer, instead left Chelsea for Nottingham Forest this week, Moyes is getting a return from a striker he signed in 2025. “He found it really difficult last year which it is for a lot of boys coming in from overseas and it is worse for centre-forwards,” said Moyes. But now Barry’s campaign is two games old and has yielded four goals.

Meanwhile, Brennan Johnson’s cameo may also cast Everton’s summer of frustration in the transfer market in a different light. Swapping the winger for Dwight McNeil meant he arrived without a transfer fee. He cost Crystal Palace £35m, never scored in 26 games for them and, in his second outing for Everton, had both a goal and an assist. The obvious caveat is that Preston are Championship stragglers, but Everton dispatched them from the Carabao Cup. They get a third-round meeting with Wolves, who eliminated them at that stage last year.

They did so courtesy of an outstanding performance from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who belongs to the long tradition of terrific Moyes signings and who was pivotal to each of Barry’s treble. He was serenaded by the extensive Everton following. He may never be a particularly stylish player, but there are days when he can be a very effective one.

His first and third were high-class goals, with Dewsbury-Hall curling a pass over the Preston defence for the overlapping Vitalii Mykolenko to centre for Barry’s first-time finish for the opener and the third a devastating counter-attack masterminded by Dewsbury-Hall and featuring a low cross from Johnson. To call his second a low-class goal may be harsh, but Barry seemed to know little about the finish. The excellence again came from Dewsbury-Hall, whose ferocious shot was parried by Lee Nicholls and bounced in off Barry.

“I would still like more, you think of the one or two opportunities he had that he didn’t score, I am annoyed with those ones,” reflected Moyes. But Barry was getting in the right positions and also provided a fine, defence-splitting pass for Johnson to advance and slot in his first goal since Wales beat North Macedonia in November. “I was really pleased,” said Moyes. “Everyone remembers Brennan at Tottenham. He got 15 or 16 goals one season. That was more like the Brennan Johnson people recognise and hopefully his confidence gets a big lift.”

Johnson had scored Tottenham’s Europa League final winner. Everton’s own bid for silverware is confined to these shores but it dates back to 1995. Moyes’ suggestion staying in the Premier League was of rather greater importance than winning a trophy had riled some Evertonians. Yet he only made three changes, to Preston’s seven; actions may have spoken louder than words as Everton cruised to victory.

There was the rarity of a start for the lesser-spotted Tyler Dibling – just his seventh for Everton – and almost his first goal, with Lee Nicholls denying him. Yet otherwise Dibling did too little to indicate why Everton paid £35m for him or to suggest he will be seen much in the immediate future, especially with Johnson’s immediate impact.

At the other end, Callum Lang, a former Everton season ticket holder, tested Jordan Pickford’s reactions with an overhead kick. The Preston assistant manager Stuart McCall struck twice for Everton in the 1989 FA Cup final; yet only two men have scored for them in finals in the subsequent 37 years.

Yet the greatest link between the clubs was in the dugout. Moyes served Preston for 194 games as player and 234 as manager, almost taking them into the Premier League; his picture adorns the wall of Deepdale’s Greats’ Room. Moyes used to have a Friday cup of tea with Tom Finney, the greatest Preston footballer, during his time in charge, and was briefly a teammate of a young loanee called David Beckham.

He, like Moyes, was bound for bigger things. The Scot has shown a generous side to Preston since then, including loaning them Harrison Armstrong for the first half of last season, but this was a day for rather more ruthlessness. A curiosity of Preston’s Carabao Cup campaign was that they had won at Goodison Park and then exited to Everton; unable to use Deepdale, they borrowed Everton’s historic home for the first-round tie against Huddersfield. That was an incongruous sight. Moyes hopes for another. Preston have not played in the top flight since 1961, the year after Finney retired. “I hope Preston do before I go,” he said.