Steve Smith vs Virat Kohli: The better Test batsman
Steve Smith and Virat Kohli have emerged as two of the greatest batsmen of the modern era. The two batting gladiators have been pummelling bowling attacks and have emerged as the fulcrum of their respective batting line ups. While Smith has the highest average in Tests after Bradman, Kohli is seen by many as the heir apparent to the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.
Both these batsmen have generated incredible numbers and are well on their way to batting immortality in the longest format of the game. Now, what do the numbers reveal? Who is the better batsman between the two?
In this article, let us analyze Steve Smith and Virat Kohli on the following parameters.
#1. Performance in Away Tests
One important criterion to compare the proficiency of two players is to compare their away records. For, playing in foreign conditions presents different challenges. A batsman has to adapt to different playing conditions and a variety of bowling attacks to emerge on top.
Steve Smith has played 74 innings away from home and scored a colossal 3883 runs at an average of 57.10, including 13 hundreds and 17 fifties. That effectively means that the Aussie run machine crosses the 50 run mark once in every 2.47 innings in away tests.
On the other hand, Virat Kohli has played 81 innings away from home and scored 3644 runs at an average of 46.13, including 14 hundreds and 12 fifties. The Indian batting maestro, therefore, crosses the 50 run mark once every 3.12 innings.
It is very clear that Smith dominates Kohli in this parameter in almost every aspect. In the next slide, let us look at the performances of these two behemoths in every country that they have played away from home for an in-depth analysis.
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