Steve Smith or Virat Kohli. Who is the best among the equals? Who is the best across all the three formats of the game? Who is the most accomplished batsman of the current era? Is it Virat- the ever-hungry mean-run scoring juggernaut or is it Steve Smith – the silent assassin, the man who literally rose from the Ashes to hand Australia the ‘Ashes urn’ after his comeback from the ball-tampering scandal? Who is it?
This is the question that has engulfed the folklore and pundits in contemporary cricket. And when the same question was asked from batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, he refused to draw comparisons between the two modern-day greats – Kohli and Smith, saying both batters are a joy to watch.
Tendulkar, who is in Sydney for the Bushfire Cricket Bash, where he will be coaching Ricky Ponting’s XI, said: “Let’s not get into comparisons and let us enjoy what both those individuals are doing. They are entertaining the entire cricketing world, and it’s a joy for us to watch.”
The Master Blaster also cited his own example to explain his comments. “I don’t like getting into comparisons. People have tried comparing me to a number of guys, and I’ve said, ‘Just leave us alone’,” added Tendulkar.
During his playing days, Tendulkar was compared with Brain Lara, Ricky Ponting, and even with former cricketers like Don Bradman and Sunil Gavaskar.
“But when it gets to picking someone, let an Indian pick an Indian guy,” the Mumbaikar signed off.
