Pakistan legend gives his verdict on Virat Kohli vs Steve Smith

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Image Courtesy: AFP/AP

The rivalry between Virat Kohli and Steve Smith has been one of the most discussed topics in world cricket. Belonging from the two vying nations of India and Australia, the tussle between the two iconic cricket stars ranges from the 22 yards to even the ICC Test batting rankings, which has seen the two battle out for the top spot in the past few months. While there has been several opinions about which player topples the other, former Pakistani cricketer Zaheer Abbas feels that while Smith may be ahead in Test cricket, Kohli takes the crown in every other format.

Image Courtesy: AFP/AP

After a lacklustre performance in the New Zealand tests, Kohli lost his no. 1 Test batsman rank to Smith, falling to second position from his rating of 928 to 885. The former Aussie captain has gone back to the top, with 911 ratings.

However, the Indian skipper retains his crown in ODI battling rankings, and speaking to  The Telegraph, even Zaheer Abbas thinks its consistency across all formats that matters over shining in just a single one.

Talking about the unfairness of comparing current and former players of the sport and naming someone as ‘greatest of all time’, Abbas said it was the Aussie who edges out Kohli in the red ball format.

“But yeah, Steve Smith is more consistent than Kohli in Test cricket. He scores in almost every series he plays. Even the other Australian — David Warner — has been doing well,” the veteran said in the interview.

However, going back to his previous point, Abbas said that the consistency Kohli exhibits across all formats of cricket puts him above Smith.

The 72 year old continued: “But as I said, a batsman needs to perform in all formats and in that sense, Kohli is more consistent in the other versions as well.”

“So from that perspective, I don’t think you can call anyone as an all-time great player. This kind of comparison is not fair,” Abbas went on, “If you want to establish yourself as the top batsman in world cricket, you have to be consistent in all formats. That’s fundamental.”

Over the years, Kohli has established himself as one of the most consistent batsmen of all time, and has also landing many match-winning knocks for the Men in Blue. Even though the poor form against the Aussie saw him falling behind Smith regarding Test cricket, Abbas still feels there are few that can be weighed alongside the 31 year old run machine.

“Just look at what Kohli has achieved over the years Also, he is not a machine. Even a machine sometimes mal-functions. At this moment, there aren’t many who can parallel Kohli,” Abbas concluded.

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