Virat Kohli decoded ODIs like no-one else: Simon Doull brands him ‘the outlier’ and rejects ‘ODIs are easier' claim

During India's first ODI against New Zealand, Simon Doull argued that ODI batting isn't universally easier, using Virat Kohli's stats to support his point.

During the New Zealand innings in their first ODI against India at Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara, the broadcast drifted into a question cricket has been asking a lot these days: Is ODI batting easier than in other formats?

Virat Kohli during the first ODI.(PTI)

With India captain, Shubman Gill, having chosen to field first, the discussion was floated in by Harsha Bhogle. It was a broader format argument, and Simon Doull’s answer was essentially a rebuttal to the idea that “easier” can be applied as a rule.

Doull’s logic started with a comparison set: if ODIs were just simpler, the same statistical uplift should show up across the era’s elite batters. But, he argued that it is only one name, Virat Kohli, who has some phenomenal ODI numbers, while the others in the fav four, like Joe Root, Kane Williamson, and Steve Smith, have better Test numbers.

Doull addressed the Kohli split, which, in his mind, punctures the “ODIs are easier” line. “Virat’s the only one whose ODI record is so much more superior than his Test match record,” said Doull.

He pushed the argument further: the others in that top bracket don’t show the same ODI-over-Test advantage, so the conclusion can’t be that ODI cricket is universally easier to bat in. “The other three have better Test records than they do ODI records. So, you can’t necessarily say that they find ODI cricket easier.”

The numbers do actually back up his point. Kohli’s Test batting average is 46.85, while is ODI average is 58.46. Joe Root’s career numbers run the other direction - 51.07 in Tests versus 48.54 in ODIs. Kane Williamson similarly sits higher in Tests (54.68) than in ODIs (48.69). Steve Smith, who retired from ODI cricket in March 2025, finished the format with an average of 43.28, while his Test average is 56.10.

For Doull, that spread is the giveaway: Virat Kohli’s ODI output isn’t proof that the format is simpler - it’s proof that he solved it differently. ODIs, after all, come with their own problems to crack: rotating strike, switching gears without losing shape, and understanding when percentage cricket is actually the aggressive option.

Doull framed it as player-driven rather than format-driven. “He just does because he’s simply a great player.... One of the best we have ever seen....” And he ended where the best batting arguments usually land - on method, not mythology. “It’s a different skill. It’s also about understanding how you play.”