After an entertaining first ODI between Australia and India, TheSportsRush takes a statistical insight on the two skippers that will be in the spotlight in the upcoming month; Virat Kohli and Steve Smith.
Advertisement
Arguably two of the best batsmen in the world right now, the prolific duo will face each other in a series which is expected to be a nail-biting one.
Talking about Australian skipper, Steve Smith first, the Sydney-born cricketer originally broke into the Australian team back in 2010 as a teenage leg-spinner.
Debuting across all three formats in 2010, Smith was mainly used as a leg-spinner who could bat as a tail-ender.
ALSO READ : WATCH Jasprit Bumrah take a brilliant catch to dismiss Steve Smith
However, as the years progressed, Smith’s leg-spin was not the thing that kept him in the star-studded Australian squad.
The now Aussie skipper transformed himself into a brilliant batsman, and a successful successor of the great Ricky Ponting, who occupied the number 3 position in the Australian squad for much of the last two decades.
Smith now averages a brilliant 59.66, 44.26 and 21.55 with the bat across Tests, ODIs and T20Is respectively, and was handed over the captaincy reigns after Michael Clarke retired from international cricket after the 2015 World Cup.
The 28-year-old has managed 20 Test hundreds along with 21 Test fifties, while in the 50-over format he has managed to score 8 centuries along with 17 half-centuries.
In the shortest format of the game, Smith has only managed 2 international fifties, and last played the format for his country in March 2016.
His opposite number for the upcoming series will be the ever-consistent, Virat Kohli, who recently led India to a 9-0 clean sweep of Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka.
The man who needs no introduction, Virat Kohli is arguably one of the best batsman to grace the Indian jersey, and is giving tough competition to all records set by another Indian batting maestro, Sachin Tendulkar.
Kohli has smashed 8587 runs since his ODI debut back in 2008, and has filled the void left by the great Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement.
Kohli’s average of 55.75 is arguably the best among the best ODI players, while his ODI century tally of 30 already speaks volume of his capabilities.
An incredible chaser, Kohli’s outstanding average of 49.55 and 53.82 in Tests and T20Is respectively is an evidence of his great batting abilities.
With 17 international half-centuries in the shortest format of the game, Kohli is a complete player, let it be Tests, ODIs or T20Is.
Even though many may argue on Steve Smith’s higher average than Virat Kohli in Tests, the Indian skipper is way ahead of his Australian compatriot in the limited-overs format, as can be justified by his number 1 rank in both 50 and 20-over formats.
