Wasim Jaffer picks Steve Smith as better batsman than Virat Kohli in Tests

The debate has been going for long now about the better batsman between Steve Smith and Virat Kohli. Many cricket experts reckon that the latter is the best when all three formats of the game are considered. However, when it comes to only Tests, a lot agree that Smith is ahead of his Indian counterpart. The tussle between the two was halted for a year due to the former Aussie skipper’s 12-month ban imposed by Cricket Australia (CA) after the Sandpaper gate.

Smith, then, made a resounding comeback in the Ashes to regain his top spot in the ICC Test Rankings for batsmen. He raked up 774 runs in just seven innings at an unreal average of 110.57. Virat Kohli had dominated the rankings until then and even though he endured a brilliant home season, Smith did enough to retain his numero uno spot. Moreover, the Indian captain not performing in the New Zealand Tests also led to the Aussie batsman strengthening his position.

Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer has also praised Steve Smith for impeccable consistency especially since coming back from the ban. For the same reason, he also picked Smith as the better Test batsman than Virat Kohli in an interview to Times Now. “I have to give it to Steve Smith for his form since return from suspension,” Jaffer said.

Wasim Jaffer picks Virat Kohli as the best all-format batsman

However, Wasim Jaffer had no doubts whatsoever in picking Virat Kohli when asked to choose the best batsman across all the formats. Kohli is the only current batsman to boast an average of over 50 in Tests, T20Is and ODIs and is extremely consistent. He will be itching to get back on the field and score runs for India in the post-pandemic era.

Interestingly, the former Mumbai Ranji player also preferred India captain ahead of Rohit Sharma as the better white-ball cricketer. However, he clarified that he made a pick based on consistency. “In sheer consistency, Kohli edges past Rohit. But Rohit will be ahead in terms of banking on starts and scoring after getting his eye in,” Jaffer added.