There’s only one thing that can top Australia vs India playing in yellow and blue – Australia and India playing in white.
The Border-Gavaskar trophy has been by far the most talked-about cricket contest of the year. With two of the most decorated Test cricket squads up against each other, there are always going to be parallels and match-ups. Arguably the biggest comparison will be of the first-choice number four for the two teams. Two of the greatest of their generation, Virat Kohli and Steve Smith.
In the day and age of T20 cricket, there aren’t many who have made Test cricket look alive as these two have. The debate of who is better is inevitable. And while every cricket fan will have their reason to rank one above the other, numbers form their own narrative. Certainly worth having a look at.
Kings at home!
It is hardly the case that great batsmen fail to score and enjoy batting in home conditions. Which is the same with these two. Both of them have scored just less than half their runs in home conditions. Percentage-wise, Virat has scored 49.14 percent of his Test match runs at home and Smith 46.27 percent.
The numbers look awfully close when you compare these two giants at home. In fact, they both have scored 13 centuries. An average of 68.42 and 4.61 innings per 100 is by no means a small feat. However, the Indian captain is marginally short of Smith (71.15 & 4.38) in these two metrics. Marginal differences are all we can expect from the analysis of these two. Or is it?
Overseas run chart
As the old saying goes, a batsman’s true character is only tested in overseas conditions. The fact that more than half the runs scored by Steve Smith and Virat Kohli have come batting overseas shows that they haven’t just been home soil sensations.
The majority of their games have been in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) countries (India for Smith). In conditions that are most challenging against teams that play Test Cricket on a more frequent basis.
Virat has been particularly impressive in Australia and South Africa, averaging 55+ in both countries. In Australia, he has six Test hundreds, which is the joint highest alongside the great Sachin Tendulkar. He also holds the record for most runs by an Indian in a Test series against Australia (692 runs, 2014-15) and England (593 runs, 2018). Although his batting average in England and New Zealand shows that the Indian captain has had some big nightmares in overseas conditions.
Smith on the other hand has displayed his best cricket in English conditions. Ashes 2019 was a perfect example (7 innings, 774 runs, average of 110.57, 3 centuries, and 3 half-centuries). In New Zealand, Smith has played three innings and hasn’t been dismissed. In India, Smith dons an average of 60. It is only in South Africa out of these four where his average drops below 59. The former Australia captain’s love for batting long hours is no secret and his batting averages prove the same.
Converting runs to wins
Before we get to how good match-winners these two are, it would only be fair to talk about how they convert small milestones to big ones. In Test Cricket language, from the 50s to 100s.
The Indian skipper leaves behind the Australian number four with 55.10 percent (56.52 percent home and 53.84 percent overseas) conversion rate compared to Smith’s 47.27 percent (52 percent home and 43.33 percent away).
But when it comes to who contributes more in team wins, Steve Smith is a man who boasts an average which would make Sir Don Bradman proud – 81.00 overall, which is complemented well by his staggering batting performance at home and especially overseas.
All things considered, there is one number that can give you the bigger picture. The total number of balls faced. Between them, Steve Smith and Virat Kohli have faced, 25,302 deliveries in Test cricket. Two players who have set the precedent by working hard and making their way to the top. So the question should be, how many deliveries would these two have faced to have been able to face these many? Only the cricketing gods know!