There has always been a debate over who is the better batsman between current India captain Virat Kohli and former Australia skipper Steve Smith, and the answers have come out different for every other format.
While Virat is considered to have an edge over Smith in white-ball cricket, the Australian stalwart is said to be a better batsman than his Indian competitor in Tests.
Australia’s limited-overs captain Aaron Finch had a similar answer for the Kohli versus Smith debate. He heaped praises on both the batsmen but kept Kohli above Smith in the shorter formats of the game and went on to say that the Indian skipper would finish his career as the best ODI batsman of all time.
“In Test cricket, what is unbelievable about them is their records both home and away. Virat had a tough series in England last time with Jimmy Anderson but he came back and dominated. Smith has never really struggled anywhere to be fair. He is an unbelievable Test player. The thing that puts them above all is how dominant they are all around the world. There is one thing to play in your own country but to it everywhere is extraordinary.”
“Sometimes they get out early, but that’s just part of the game but they do not miss out too many times in a row. When they get in they go big. I think Smith has an edge in Test cricket. Steve in Test cricket is unbelievable,” Finch said in an interview with Sports Tak.
He also acknowledged Kohli’s impressive run in ODIs, and said, “By the time Virat Kohli finishes his career, he will be the best one-day player of all time, if he is not already. Playing against him is difficult but at times it is also beautiful to watch. It is like playing against anyone who is best of the best, regardless of whether it is Virat or Rohit or Kane Williamson or David Warner.”
“Sachin (Tendulkar) got more hundreds and more runs but the way Virat constructs run chases and the number of hundreds he has got in winning run chases is extra-ordinary. So, T20, Virat probably has the edge over Steve Smith and it is just because he has played a bit more cricket.”
“You would pick either of them in any of the teams because they get the job done more often and they are bloody good.”
Kohli has scored 70 international hundreds and averages more than 50 in all three formats, whereas, Smith averages higher than Kohli in Test cricket with 7227 runs in 73 games at 62.74.
