Ian Chappell Reveals His Choice For Captain And Batsman Between Virat Kohli And Steve Smith
Published - 01 May 2020, 10:02 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:05 AM
Former Australian captain Ian Chappell, who provides a candid view on every cricketing issue, picked his choice for skipper and batsman among Virat Kohli and Steve Smith. Kohli and Smith have been neck to neck in the past few years, especially with the bat. While Smith leads in the Test arena slightly ahead, Kohli remains miles ahead when it comes to limited-overs cricket. Nevertheless, former and current cricketers cannot keep away from comparing the two as they occur among the elite class.
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The current Indian captain has comfortably established himself not only as the best contemporary cricketer but also one of the greatest of all time. The 31-year old is the only one amongst the current bunch to average over 50 in ODIs, Tests, and T20Is. The Delhi batsman is present in the ICC rankings in all three versions in top ten. Also, as a captain, Kohli has been decisive in India’s dominance in whites as they lead the ICC Test Championship.
On the other hand, Steve Smith has taken Test cricket by storm like none other in the present time. Even after missing out on international cricket for a year, the New South Wales batsman marked a thunderous return in the Ashes, accumulating 774 runs across four Tests. The former Australian captain holds the number one ranking in red-ball cricket, dethroning Kohli in February. Meanwhile, Smith may also return as captain after the prohibition on his leadership role was lifted this March.
In a chat with Raunak Kapoor, Chappell was first asked who would he pick between Kohli and Smith. To which, the Australian questioned, “As captain or batsman?” In response, Raunak said, “You tell me”. Without hesitating, Chappell claimed he would opt for the present Indian captain as the leader and batsman.
Ian Chappell comments on the ideal way of choosing a captain:
The South Australian Ian Chappell went on to say that the Australian way of selecting the leader was first to choose an ideal eleven and from thereon picking the captain. As far as the English team was concerned, they opt for skippers, who weren’t guaranteed a spot in the playing eleven in the first place.
During his playing days, the Baggy Greens, under Chappell, were one of the few to challenge West Indies and won in their backyard. Furthermore, the 76-year old chose Ricky Ponting as a better captain over Steve Waugh. He played 75 Tests and 16 ODIs from 1964 to 1980.
