Former Australian captain Steve Smith recently picked the best batsman among the ‘Fab Four’, which includes Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Kane Williamson and himself. Steve Smith excluded Joe Root and himself, while singling out one player as superior among the four.
Virat Kohli is fourth among the leading run-scorers in international cricket, behind Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakkara and Ricky Ponting. The former Indian captain scored 765 runs during the ODI World Cup 2023 and bagged the Player of the Tournament award.
See: Steve Smith chooses the ‘best batsman’ in the world
Steve Smith, who went unsold at IPL 2024 auction, praised Virat Kohli as the best batsman in the world. Smith is currently in India for commentary on IPL 2024. In a recent Star Sports video, Smith mentioned Kohli’s name when asked about the top batsman.
Virat Kohli representing Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2024
Virat Kohli recently returned to action during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 after missing the five-match Test series against England. The right-handed batsman opted out of the series to be with his wife Anushka Sharma during the birth of his second child Akaay.
The 35-year-old batsman scored 21 runs off 20 balls during the first match of IPL 2024 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on March 22. However, the former RCB captain bounced back in the second match, hammering 77 runs against Punjab. Kings in Bangalore.
Kohli became the first Indian and the third overall to amass more than 100 fifty scores in T20 cricket during the match against PBKS. The veteran cricketer smashed 92 half-centuries and eight centuries in T20 cricket, solidifying his legacy as a prolific scorer in the format.
The Delhi-born cricketer will be seen in action during the match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday, March 29. The batsman hopes to continue his good form in the upcoming matches. .
Kohli needs three more sixes to surpass Chris Gayle’s record of most sixes for a team in the history of the premier tournament. The batsman currently has 237 sixes in 239 IPL matches for RCB, while Gayle hit 239 sixes during his tenure with the franchise.
Very similar to Mitchell Starc’s confrontation with Virat Kohli – Steve Smith
Speaking on ESPNCricinfo’s Timeo, Steven Smith expressed his anticipation for the clash between Virat Kohli and Mitchell Starc in the upcoming match. Smith highlighted Kohli’s missed opportunity against Sam Curran in the previous game against the Punjab Kings.
“I like a lot [Starc’s] matchup with Virat, the ability to spin the ball towards the line as a left-hander. we have seen it [Kohli] sometimes go out to Shaheen Afridi, Trent Boult, Mohammad Amir. In the first game against Punjab Kings, Kohli had a chance when Sam Curran slipped. So I quite like the matchup between lefties.” Steve Smith said.
In their IPL encounters, Mitchell Starc and Virat Kohli have never faced each other. The left-arm pacer has failed to dismiss Kohli in T20 matches. The former RCB captain has scored 47 runs in 28 overs against him in the short format of the match.
Starc, who returned to the IPL after a hiatus since 2014, had a disappointing performance against SunRisers Hyderabad, finishing with figures of 4-0-53-0.
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