Cricket has always been filled with debates about two specialists in a department.
Earlier it was Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara in batting, then it became Sachin and Steve Waugh, and after Steve Waugh’s retirement, it became Sachin and Ricky Ponting.
This legacy of batting rivalry has now carried on to Steve Smith and Virat Kohli.
Some kind of buzz rises whenever these two stellar batters play against each other. Be it India vs Australia matches or the IPL clashes, these stupendous batsmen get the rivalry going.
What is more fascinating about the two is their consistency. It’s been more than five years, but the competition between them is still fresh and getting inflated day by day.
So let’s get into the comparison between Virat and Smith by breaking into all possible factors with which we could compare the two.
Technical comparison
Footwork
Virat’s shots are entirely dependent on his weight transfer through his staunch footwork. But Steve uses his feet for the eerie shuffles he makes to get himself close to the line of the ball.
Virat makes the best out of footwork.
Bat swing
Smith doesn’t need to be fond of his footwork because of the unreal bat swing he possesses, which is controlled even though it looks violent at times.
Kohli’s swing comes under the formula of his weight transfer. Moreover, it won’t find the extended version like that of Smith’s.
Thus Smith’s bat swing is more flexible and productive.
Wrist work and head position
Both make their wrists flexible to get into the gap they want and their steady head position aids them to be on top of the ball while connecting.
Even though they have different styles, they set themselves apart from others with their strong head positioning and wrist work.
Approach
Smith’s shuffling sets him much readier and his comfortability in receiving the ball could be done only by him. But still, Virat’s approach is dominant. He always likes to be on top of the bowler.
Range of shots
Virat is so precise. The cover drive, straight drive, flick shot, and pull shot are his anytime-ready shots. Apart from that, some rare execution of square drives, leg glance, and cheeky dab to the third man region comes in when demanded, especially in the shorter format.
Speaking of lofted drives, Virat is extremely strong through the downtown region. His improvised lofted version of his cover drives, straight drives and flicks make him a deadly customer at death overs and in T20s.
Name any shot from the textbook and the Australian is a perfect executor of it, but in his own style. The fascinating thing about Smith is how he works into the onerous gaps he wishes to go through, however his intention of going towards the gaps makes him invent many unorthodox shots.
Smith has got the ground shots, while Virat has the upper hand in the lofted shots.
Virat Kohli (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
Statistical comparison
Test
Even though Kohli has a century more (27) than Smith, the Aussie’s average (62.84) wins the battle for sheer consistency.
On looking at the half-centuries, Smith has 12 home fifties and 17 away, while Virat was only able to bring in ten and 12.
From another point of view, the Australian’s conversion of fifties into hundreds is worrying.
Another factor in comparing is their number of 200s – neither have found a way to the whopping 300-mark – where Virat stands tall with seven while Smith has three.
ODI
In the 50-over format, Kohli is unbelievable and Smith has no way to catch him.
Virat has made a stunning 43 centuries (24 away and 19 at home) with an outstanding average of 59.34.
Smith has only nine centuries(six at home and three away), averaging 42.47.
Obviously, it makes Virat top in ODIs.
T20s
Virat is way ahead in T20s as well, with 24 half-centuries averaging 50.80, while Smith has only four, averaging 29.61.
Smith has nothing much to boast upon his white-ball cricket except the fact he was in a World Cup-winning team. Therefore, both the white-ball cricket formats are outrightly dominated by the Indian skipper.
Test cricket is the only format in which Smith dominates, but Virat is a great competitor there too. Furthermore, Virat’s consistency in all three formats is astonishing.
Scoring runs in Tests is never easy. It needs temperament, technique and a strong character.
Comparing this pair will go on and we will only find answers when the two retire. Until then, Sachin Tendulkar’s has the final say:
“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.”
Noah
Guest
Steve Smith is better for many many reasons My own research shows Smith is easily better than Kohli Smith was also a bowling all rounder
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Spruce Moose …. England’s record at home, discounting the one off test against the lankans in 1998, played 14 test series in the 1990s, winning 6 of them, losing 5 and drawing 3. Four of the loses were against Australia, and Pakistan, who had the best attack around at that time to exploit swing conditions there. Pakistan were also a powerful side then. Two of the draws were against the West Indies who were still all powerful in 1991, and in 1995 had only a few short months earlier lost their first test series in 15 years. Australia lost four test series at home in the 2010s (and five in the decade between 2008 and 2018). https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/team/series_results.html?class=1;host=1;id=199;type=decade
Rellum
Roar Guru
Hanse called him then sent him back.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
No he didn't. Cullinan was desperate not to face Warne.
Rellum
Roar Guru
His partner ran him out
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Yeah it got to the ridiculous point where Cullinan was getting run out taking a suicidal single in a test match just to avoid facing him.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
Warne VS Cullinan… The contest was already over before Darryl had even laced up his cricket boots.. It was complete psychological mayhem.. People sometimes forget that Darryl was a very talented batsman..averaged 45 in 70 Tests.. That’s decent.. But when he saw Warne coming on to bowl reduced him to a wreck.
bowledover
Roar Rookie
Agreed! Smith has an unorthodox technique – i dont think it means it is broken, flawed or his scoring will drop off a cliff all of a suffen. I also agree that Smith is improving in t20. Smith has consistently shown he can develop or refine his technique – perhaps now he also has more mental space for this now he isnt captain.
Mooty
Roar Rookie
They’re both great batsmen, so I really don’t see the point of these tedious articles
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Yes he had excellent tours both times.
Nick
Roar Guru
Ah... look, it's a good post but suffers from the usual inability by some to acknowledge tests are played between other countries beside Australia. England's record against everyone in the 90's was absolutely dreadful. They were the Bangladesh of the 90's. It was only after Atherton's resignation in 1998 that they started to improve. You need to look beyond Australian shores to build a proper picture. The English batting line up was terrible. Didn't matter who they played.
Considering Smith is arguably the second best test batsman ever, with Hand-eye coordination better than any in world cricket, I think its a little too early to say that his batting will fall off quickly as he gets older. He's shown freakish ability to adapt his game to any situation and style of play in Test cricket, hes getting better in T20 cricket too as well. Does every batsman decline as they get older? For sure, but considering hes averaging 62 and some change...I dare say he retires with a career average around the 60 mark, still 8 runs higher than Kohli, and Kohli is at the age where most batsman start the downward decline, so an average south of 50 isnt too hard to forsee, especially if his mediocre overseas batting continues....
Save_the_Earth
Roar Rookie
30 and 130 is too high. 20 and 125 would be ideal. or we need to decide what would be ideal
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
I think it will depend on whether he goes the Tendulkar path or the Viv Richards path … Richards said he wished he had shelved some of his natural flamboyance in order to maintain high run scoring in the latter years of his career like Tendulkar did. He didn’t say it, but anyone who saw Richards play would surmise that a rather macho attitude prevented him from stopping being the master blaster for such an end … I am predicting Smith will happily sacrifice a little strike rate to keep relatively up with average. In late 1983, Richards’s test average was 58 with over 4000 runs. He retired less than 8 years later with 8 and a half thousand runs with an average of 50 point something. It will be interesting that’s for sure.
Save_the_Earth
Roar Rookie
thanks for the information JGK! :happy: I dont see what is wrong in that. just because he is not a well known player around the world doesnt make him any less. that shows that he is as good as any and an underrated player. and also from that list you can have minimum criteria like minimum average 30 or minimum strike rate 130 and drop those who dont.
JGK
Roar Guru
"okay, did u find players with the above criteria who average 10, strike rate 120 and average 40, strike rate 80 and scored more than 680 runs" There aren't any of either. But you do have Manish Pandey with an average of 47 and SR of 127 (174 total). Under your methodology that would make him as good or better T20 player than Rohit Sharma (32+139), Eoin Morgan (31+138), Brendan McCullum (36+136), MSD (38+126), Shane Watson (29+145) and David Warner (32+140). Or if you pick a player with a similar number of runs, better than Jason Roy (24+148).
Save_the_Earth
Roar Rookie
take some time mate. we will get back to it later. in the meanwhile let JGK come up with the numbers.
Balaji
Guest
Why didn't Kohli top scored in three Wc despite the greatest odi player????
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
You've completely lost me.
Save_the_Earth
Roar Rookie
okay, did u find players with the above criteria who average 10, strike rate 120 and average 40, strike rate 80 and scored more than 680 runs