Virat Kohli vs Steve Smith: Who Has Better Stats In Test Cricket?

Rivalries among players in cricket play a significant role in enhancing the excitement and drama of the sport. These rivalries not only captivate fans and media but also add an extra layer of intensity and competitiveness to the matches. Rivalries often push players to perform at their best. 

The desire to outdo their rivals or prove their superiority can motivate cricketers to raise their level of play, leading to memorable performances. There are very less moments in any sport where two of the best players push each other to be the best version of themselves and remain at the top for more than a decade.

One of the biggest rivalries in international cricket is between India’s batting maestro Virat Kohli and Australian legend Steve Smith. These two players have ruled the charts of international cricket for more than a decade and have done some exceptional things for their respective teams.

Smith made his debut for the Australian national cricket team in 2010 and quickly established himself as a talented and versatile batsman. He is known for his unorthodox batting style and exceptional ability to read the game, which has allowed him to excel in all formats of the game – Test cricket, One-Day Internationals (ODIs), and Twenty20s (T20s).

Virat Kohli, on the other hand, made his debut for Team India in 2008, two years before Steve Smith. He is the fastest player to reach 8,000, 9,000, 10,000, 11,000, and 12,000 runs in One-Day Internationals (ODIs). 

He also holds the record for the fastest century in ODIs by an Indian player. In Test cricket, he has several double-centuries to his name and has consistently maintained an outstanding batting average.

Virat Kohli vs Steve Smith in Test Cricket

Without a doubt, Test cricket is the only format of cricket where a player can be truly judged. Playing with the same motivation for all 5 days is not possible for some who are not talented and passionate about sports.

Steve Smith’s performance in Test cricket has been outstanding, and he is widely regarded as one of the greatest Test batsmen of his era. The recently held third Ashes Test was his 100th Test fixture. In these 100 Test matches, Smith has scored 9137 runs at an average of 58.9 and a strike rate of 53.8. His innings also include four double-hundreds in the longest format of the game.

Virat Kohli, on the other hand, has been part of 110 Test fixtures in his career of 12 Years in the Test format. He has scored 8555 runs at an average of 48.9 and a strike rate of 55.2. His 12 years of innings include 7 double centuries in Test cricket.

Smith is known for his unorthodox and unique batting technique. He has a slightly closed stance, stands deep in the crease, and shuffles across the stumps. He uses swift footwork and hand-eye coordination to play unconventional shots and is particularly adept at flicking the ball on the leg side. 

Kohli, on the other hand, has a more traditional and textbook batting technique. He has a more open stance, stands more upright, and plays with a straight bat. His strokeplay is characterized by strong drives on the off-side and effective wrist play.

Even though their Test stats speak a completely different story about their comparison in the Test format, the two giants of international cricket can’t be compared. They both have done wonders in the red-ball format and they both are still performing at their best in international cricket.