Virat Kohli or Steve Smith? Be it cricket fans or the experts, the opinions are divided. Both these batsmen have impressed one and all with their superlative performances and impeccable consistency over the years.
Virat Kohli’s exceptional record in white-ball cricket puts him head and shoulders above the rest, but when it comes to Test cricket, there is a stiff competition between India skipper and Steve Smith.
Marnus Labuschagne, who is a joint third in the ICC rankings with Ben Stokes, has picked Steve Smith over Virat Kohli in five-day matches.
“I think Steve (Smith) in Test cricket has just shown in any condition, he can find away. I think that’s what you know really makes him the best, number one Test player in the world,” Labuschagne told India Today in an exclusive interview.
“He has found a way in India, he has found a way to score in England, he is obviously very consistent in Australia, so it seems that it doesn’t matter where are you playing and in what conditions, he is finding a way. Now, Virat has probably done a similar thing. I will probably go with Steve in Test cricket.’’
Smith was banned from all forms of cricket following the ball-tampering fiasco in South Africa in 2018. On his return, he scored twin tons in the first Ashes Test and three innings into his return he was back as number one Test batsman in the ICC charts. The man he replaced at the top was Kohli.
However, when it comes to white-ball cricket, Labuschagne continues to learn the tricks of the trade watching Virat Kohli.
“Virat’s white-ball cricket is phenomenal. The way he finishes innings, the way he finishes matches off, the way he chases. I think for me personally, I have learned a lot from him.”
Labuschagne has come a long way in the past year. He was the leading run-scorer in Tests in 2019 and also leads the run tally in World Test Championship. Labuschagne became cricket’s first concussion substitute when he replaced Steve Smith in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s and since then there is no stopping him.
In the home summer, Labuschagne scored 896 runs with a double century, two 150 plus scores, a century and three half-centuries in eight innings.
Speaking on his golden run Labuschagne said, “It’s been a really exciting year, you probably could not have expected the way it turned out. To go to Glamorgan and perform there and then to be able to take it to the Ashes and then into the home summer.’’
Marnus Labuschagne aims to continue his good run with the bat and follow stalwarts like Virat, Smith and David Warner.
“As a cricketer, you go through a period and you have done really well and I know the teams are going to be even more prepared then they were before, they will come harder at me. For me, it’s about not putting one performance together but to be as consistent as I can. You know there are so many examples, there is Virat, Steve Smith, David Warner, these guys are putting seasons back to back together for the last ten years. So there are some good people leading the way there, my aim is to try and follow that.”