Steve Smith vs Virat Kohli: The better Test batsman

Steve Smith and Virat Kohli have emerged as two of the greatest batsmen of the modern era. The two batting gladiators have been pummelling bowling attacks and have emerged as the fulcrum of their respective batting line ups. While Smith has the highest average in Tests after Bradman, Kohli is seen by many as the heir apparent to the legendary Sachin Tendulkar.

Both these batsmen have generated incredible numbers and are well on their way to batting immortality in the longest format of the game. Now, what do the numbers reveal? Who is the better batsman between the two?

In this article, let us analyze Steve Smith and Virat Kohli on the following parameters.

#1. Performance in Away Tests

It is very clear that Smith dominates Kohli in this parameter in almost every aspect.

One important criterion to compare the proficiency of two players is to compare their away records. For, playing in foreign conditions presents different challenges. A batsman has to adapt to different playing conditions and a variety of bowling attacks to emerge on top.

Steve Smith has played 74 innings away from home and scored a colossal 3883 runs at an average of 57.10, including 13 hundreds and 17 fifties. That effectively means that the Aussie run machine crosses the 50 run mark once in every 2.47 innings in away tests.

On the other hand, Virat Kohli has played 81 innings away from home and scored 3644 runs at an average of 46.13, including 14 hundreds and 12 fifties. The Indian batting maestro, therefore, crosses the 50 run mark once every 3.12 innings.

It is very clear that Smith dominates Kohli in this parameter in almost every aspect. In the next slide, let us look at the performances of these two behemoths in every country that they have played away from home for an in-depth analysis.

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#2. Country-wise performance

Smith has performed better in different countries as compared to Kohli.

Here, we will look at the performance of Smith and Kohli in every country that they have played Test cricket in, away from home. Let us examine the numbers of Kohli first in the following table.

Performance of Kohli in each country

Kohli has an excellent record in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, averaging in excess of 50 in the three countries. In fact, Kohli averages a colossal 71.33 in New Zealand. However, Kohli averages just 36.35 in England and 35.62 in the West Indies. This means that he averages more than 50 in three out of the seven countries. Also, as many as 6 out of his 14 away centuries have come in one country i.e. Australia.

Now, let us have a look at Smith's batting performances away from home.

Smith's performance in each country.

Smith, on the other hand has an average in excess of 50 in 4 countries. In fact, the Australia run machine has a whopping average of 131.00 and 141.50 in New Zealand and West Indies respectively, although it is worth noting that he has played just 2 Test matches in these countries. Also, as many as 6 out of his 13 away hundreds have come against England. Another look at both the tables reveals that Smith has a better average in Bangladesh, New Zealand, England and the West Indies as compared to Kohli.

This shows that Smith has actually performed better in different countries as compared to the Indian batting superstar.

#3. Man of The Match awards

Smith receives a Man of the Match once in every 6.18 Tests.

The Man of the Match award indicates the ability of a player to distinguish himself with a stand out performance in a match that he is participating in. It also highlights his ability to turn the match in his team's favour. Smith has played 68 Tests and ended up with the Man of the Match award on 11 occasions. This effectively means that he receives a Man of the Match once in every 6.18 Tests that he plays in.

Virat Kohli, on the other hand, has played 82 Tests for India and has won the Man of the Match award on 9 occasions. This means that Kohli has received a Man of the Match award once in every 9.11 Tests that he plays in.

Clearly, Smith again dominates Kohli in this aspect.

#4. Performance in the 4th Innings

Kohli has a much better 4th innings record as compared to Steve Smith

Batting in the fourth innings of a Test match is indeed a challenging task for a batsman. Along with the pressure of chasing a target, a batsman typically has to counter the fourth and fifth day pitches where there is a lot of wear and tear.

Virat Kohli has played 23 times in the fourth innings of a Test and scored 896 runs at an average of 49.78, including 2 hundreds and 6 fifties. On the other hand, Smith’s record is pretty ordinary as compared to Kohli’s. The Australian batting dynamite has played 21 times in the final innings of a Test and scored 583 runs at a modest average of just 30.68 without scoring even a single hundred in the fourth innings of a Test.

Clearly, Kohli has shown that he is a better chaser in the 4th innings as compared to Smith.

#5. Contribution in a winning cause

Smith has had a greater impact in winning a test as compared to Virat Kohli.

The most important goal for any batsman is to ensure that his contribution results in a win for his side. At the international level, the very best of batsmen distinguish themselves with their ability to produce match-winning performances. Let us see how Smith and Kohli perform in this regard.

Virat Kohli has scored 3736 runs in a winning cause, which translates to a percentage of 52.87%. Also, out of his 26 Test hundreds, 12 have come in a winning cause. Steven Smith has scored 4201 out of his 6973 runs in Tests in a winning cause, which translates to a percentage of 60.25. Also, as many as 18 out of Smith's 26 Test hundreds have come in a winning cause.

So, we can see from the above that Smith has had a greater impact in winning Tests as compared to Virat Kohli.

Conclusion

Steve Smith and Virat Kohli are two of the greatest Test batsmen of the modern era. But, at this moment, Smith seems to be ahead of Kohli in the longest format. His away average in different countries is much higher than Kohli, he has a better Man of the Match ratio as compared to Kohli, and his contribution to his side’s win is much higher than that of Kohli’s.

One place where Kohli does better than Smith is his record in the fourth innings of a Test match, where his average of 49.78 is much higher than Smith’s average of just 30.68.

The two players are the greatest of the modern era in Tests, but Smith seems to be ahead of Kohli at the moment.