Who is Better - Virat Kohli or Steven Smith? Ricky Ponting Answers

The most illustrated Australia skipper, Ricky Ponting has rated Virat Kohli as the best batsman in the world but offered his judgement with one major provision that Steven Smith still trumps the Indian skipper.

Ponting rates who’s better among Kohli-Smith

Meanwhile, the fans will not get to watch the two batting stalwarts go head to head when India tours Australia for four Tests later this year. Cricket Australia suspended Smith for his role in the ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town in March. Australia openers David Warner and Cameron Bancroft faced the same fate.

Steven Smith’s 12 months suspension may see Kohli get past him on the Test Rankings, but he still holds the place ahead of Kohli. However, Ponting believes Smith’s golden Ashes summer separates him from the pack.

“Right now, he (Kohli) is because Steve Smith is not there,” Ponting said to Channel Seven. “(But) if Steve Smith was playing now, I’d have him as the number one player in the world. The Ashes summer last year was just some of the best and purest batting as you’re ever going to see. To do it on the big stage in an Ashes series, and to do it on the first day of an Ashes series when it counts the most, says a lot about him,” he added.

In two fewer Tests than Kohli, Smith has made 23 Test tons and averages nearly 61.37, while Kohli has 21 hundred and a batting average of 53.40. However, when it comes to ODI cricket, Kohli leaves everyone behind him.

In 208 one-day internationals (100 more games that Smith has played), Kohli has 35 centuries to Smith’s eight and averages 58.10 to Smith’s 41.84. That gap gets mirrored in T20 Internationals, where Kohli averages 48.88 to Smith’s 21.55.

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