Gautam Gambhir Weighs In On Steve Smith-Virat Kohli Debate In Limited-Overs Cricket

Virat Kohli and Steven Smith are the pillars for their respective teams, regardless of the format. Steven Smith is unstoppable when it comes to Test cricket while Virat Kohli is a force to which only a few players can match up in white-ball cricket. And with the ever-growing comparisons stemming up between the two, former Indian opening batsman Gautam Gambhir has declared that Virat Kohli is far better than Steven Smith in limited-overs cricket.

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The analogy between two modern-day greats has risen and became more burning now ahead of the high-profile series between India and Australia. In 242 ODI games, the Indian captain has accumulated 11609 runs at 59.84. The former Australian captain has 3810 runs under his belt in 118 ODIs. Gambhir weighed on this debate by saying that Smith stands nowhere near to Kohli in the limited-overs version. The retired batsman was also curious to know the position Smith would bat in, given the inclusion of Marnus Labuschagne in the squad, who comes in at number three in Tests.

“Virat Kohli is far far better than Steve Smith in white-ball cricket. There’s no comparison. I would not compare Kohli to Smith in white-ball cricket. I would actually want to see what spot Smith bats on. Are they’re going to push him at no 4 or would have him bat at 3 and send Labuschagne at no 4.” Gambhir said as quoted by Hindustan Times.

Gautam Gambhir excited about India’s pace bowlers:

The Delhi batsman threw his weight behind the pace duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami to pose problems for the Australian batting order. The 38-year old conceded on these lifeless decks and smaller boundaries or grounds, the bowlers need to bring their A-game and their quickness and raw pace can work wonders.

“I’m really excited to see how these two guys bowl against some of the top batters like David Warner or Aaron Finch in that kind of form in white-ball cricket on flat wickets. But the best part is that they have got pace. They can actually get wickets with that sheer pace and the quickness in the air as well.

I’ve always believed that when you’re playing on flacid wickets and smaller grounds like the Wankhede or Bangalore, your bowlers need to step up. The kind of form Mohammed Shami is in, it’s a big plus for India that he has done really well in white-ball cricket.” he added.

Both the sides have brought together some star-studded quicks. Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc would make up the Australian bowling attack while India have Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Shardul Thakur in their repertoire.

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