After Steve Smith’s recent performances in the Ashes series against England, the cricketing fraternity is debating who is a superior batsman in the longest format – Smith or the India captain Virat Kohli. ex- England spinner Monty Panesar shared his view on the same and said that the former Australian captain is the best Test batsman than Virat. Speaking in an interview to TOI, Panesar said: “Smith is a better Test batsman than Virat Kohli. But if you at the overall package, especially in white-ball cricket, Kholi stands out. He is overall a world-class more paly. Virat is the best batsman in the world. Smith is the better Test batsman overall in the world.”
Panesar additionally went on to say that Kohli could exceed Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 100 tons in international cricket. “Virat (Kohli) has a better chance of breaking his (Sachin’s) Test centuries record (51 Test centuries). The way he is batting and the form he is in, he will go on and break both the ODI and Test centuries records. He can make more than 100 centuries,” Panesar said.
The former English left-arm spinner further named Jasprit Bumrah as the best among Indian bowlers. “He (Jasprit Bumrah) is sparkling and amazing. The remarkable part is that he transformed himself as an important member of the team in a short period. His skill to learn and to adapt to things quickly has stunned me. I think he has learned a lot at Mumbai Indians,” he said.
“I am sure Sachin Tendulkar has played a big role in his (Bumrah’s) development. He has huge control over him. What length to bowl, how to swing. How to judge a batsman – all these things Bumrah has learned so quickly. How you think about the game and how you strategically take the right decisions – all these things Bumrah has learned so fast and under the guidance of Sachin,” he added.
The 30-year-old Smith scored 774 runs in seven innings, at an astonishing average of 110.57 in the ashes, with three hundred and three fifties. He also went ahead of Virat Kohli to strengthen the top chair in ICC Test batting rankings.
